"Intensive
preschool and full-day kindergarten enrichment programs are
necessary to reverse the educational disadvantages these children
start out with."
Abbott
v. Burke, 1998
Disadvantaged
children in New Jersey's cities typically begin kindergarten
far behind their suburban peers in language and other skills
essential for early school success. To close this learning
gap, the NJ Supreme Court ordered the implementation of full
day kindergarten and full day preschool for all three and
four year old children in the Abbott districts in Abbott
V, Abbott
VI, and Abbott
VIII. As the NJ Supreme Court has found, "well-planned,
high quality" preschool "will have a significant
and substantial positive impact on academic achievement in
both early and later school years."
The Supreme Court Mandate for Preschool
High
Quality
-
Universal Eligibility:
all 3 and 4 year old children, with enrollment on demand
- District-led
Collaboration:
preschool contracts with community and Head Start programs
able and willing to met the Abbott quality standards
- Qualified
Teachers and Small Classes:
15 children per class, staffed by a State certified (P-3)
teacher and an assistant
- Adequate
Facilities and Funding: State provided facilities and
funding, adequate to meet district needs
- Preschool
Curriculum: developmentally appropriate curriculum,
aligned with the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and
elementary school reforms
- Related
Services: social and health services, transportation,
and services for children with disabilities and with limited
English proficiency, as needed
- District
Support and Accountability: supervision, technical assistance,
professional development and evaluation to assure uniform
high quality
Well
Planned
- Collaboration:
contracts between districts and community programs for needed
funding, services, assistance and oversight to assure each
program meets the Abbott quality standards
- Outreach
and Recruitment: identify the number of unserved children
and obstacles to enrollment, then conduct intensive outreach
and recruitment
- Children's
Needs: design programs based on children's documented
academic, health, social and other needs, including disabilities
and a home language other than English
- Staff
Needs: document the needs of teachers for ongoing professional
development, and for funding to achieve salary/benefit comparability
between school and community programs
- District
Needs: document the staffing needs of districts to provide
sufficient support to all school and community programs
- Improvement
Planning: identify and plan for individual program and
district-wide improvements to meet identified needs, and
to reach the Abbott quality standards
- Budgeting:
prepare budgets for each school and community program, and
for district support
- Extra
funding: combine district and program budgets to determine
costs and any additional state funding, if needed
- Facilities
Planning: assess school and community programs for needed
improvements and potential expansion, and seek state facilities
funding
In
the Abbott orders, the NJ Supreme Court has placed the ultimate
legal responsibility for implementation of the Abbott preschool
program upon the State. Although districts operate preschools,
and supervise local collaborations with community and Head
Start programs, effective implementation depends upon State
leadership, clear guidelines and funding procedures, and timely
decision-making and dispute resolution. Education Law Center,
through the Abbott
Schools Initiative, works to hold State and district
officials accountable for effective implementation of the
Abbott preschool program.
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