The first day of school in Montgomery County on Monday coincided with the release of a glowing report on the school system’s early childhood initiatives, leading off a year sure to be full of outgoing Superintendent Jerry Weast’s success stories.
The report, published by the Foundation for Child Development and the Pew Center on the States, commends the district’s efforts to enroll 3- and 4-year-olds and to connect their lessons to long-term goals, such as college-readiness.
More than 4,000 Montgomery preschoolers participate in the county’s public program — many regardless of income. About 420 low-income 4-year-olds attend full-day preschool, up from 260 in 2007-08.
In Virginia counties, by contrast, public preschool is available based on low-income eligibility.
The timing of the release likely is a sign that Weast and his administrative team are working to ensure his replacement carries forth with his reforms. Weast announced last week he would retire in June at the close of his third four-year contract.
When asked last week what single reform he wished would continue, Weast answered unequivocally.
“Don’t abandon early childhood,” he said. “Everyone talks about doing it, but few districts actually do it. … It takes a lot of partners.”
And while Weast has his detractors, few are willing to say he’s wrong to focus on the earliest grades.
“Honestly, I don’t know of anyone who is critical of MCPS’s pre-k efforts,” said Lisa Guernsey, director of New America Foundation’s Early Childhood Initiative. “There’s always room for improvement, but overall it’s a strong initiative that is starting to show some real results.”
Students who entered pre-kindergarten in 2002, for example — as Weast’s efforts were ramping up — show gains throughout their years in school. By third grade in 2006, 59 percent passed the state’s reading exams. By seventh grade in 2010, 87 percent did.
The report was researched and written by a Harvard doctoral student under the tutelage of Stacey Childress, the author of a recent book extolling Montgomery County Public Schools.
But the publishers insist the county did not come around asking for it to be written.
“Montgomery County has just been an inspiration to us,” said Mark Bogosian, a spokesman for the Foundation for Child Development. “The work they’re doing in connecting early education to the k-12 system and producing results at the end of the pipeline … we felt this story had to be told.”
