The U.S. News – Allie Bidwell
“Despite a bipartisan consensus on the importance of early childhood education, most states have a long way to go toward implementing high-quality programs and enrolling more young children, according to Education Week’s annual report on state efforts to improve education. Education Week’s research center has published a new Early Education Index grading state participation in early education based on enrollment in such programs, poverty-based gaps in enrollment and trends over time. Overall, the nation received a D-plus on the index, and all but six states received C’s or D’s. The District of Columbia ranked first with a B-plus, while three other states – Hawaii, Mississippi and Louisiana – received B’s and a B-minus, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Utah received an F and ranked lowest in the nation, along with Idaho, which also received an F.”(more)