Oklahoma: High Marks for Pre-K Spending, Low Marks for Reading Achievement

Lindsey Burke / April 16, 2009

This week, the Tulsa World proudly proclaimed:

Finally, along comes a set of national rankings which ought to make Oklahomans especially proud. The latest annual survey by the National Institute for Early Education Research shows Oklahoma leading the nation in prekindergarten enrollment. The State of Preschool 2008 showed Oklahoma in first place with 71 percent of its 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool education. This is not the first time the state has ranked first in this survey.

This clearly begs the question: Are all of those kids enrolled in Oklahoma’s prekindergarten program benefiting academically? (more…)