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Michael Cianchette’s Feb. 19 column questions the concept of “trust the science.” In his column he cites one example of a study of how children in Tennessee prekindergarten programs performed academically worse than their peers who had not attended a pre-K program. By not examining the study further, Cianchette does the BDN readers a disservice and assumes a conclusion that justifies his biases.
The study itself clarifies the results by demonstrating the standards for pre-K are pretty low, and that 85 percent of Tennessee’s classrooms do not meet those low standards. Tennessee’s pre-K is poorly funded. The National Institute for Early Education Research indicates that Tennessee currently budgets roughly 50 percent of the amount needed to adequately fund an effective program. Many research studies clearly demonstrate that when pre-K programs are fully funded positive outcomes occur.
In the future, Cianchette needs to do a better job conducting his own research and not just parroting headlines that only spread misinformation.
Rick Saucier
Etna