Investing in the Future through Early Childhood Education
October 5, 2011 - 10:00am - 1:30pm |
Overview
At a time when many experts and parents are talking about the need to reinvigorate the nation’s education system and make it more competitive globally, perhaps the wisest investment is in the earliest learning. Early education does more than teach a kid to count: it launches a child on a life of learning. This Washington Post Live conference focused on the most promising practices and programs for teaching preschoolers. By bringing together the brightest minds in education—federal and local government officials, education experts, and teachers—we examined the most successful strategies for giving our youngest the brightest possible future.
Click here to view the day's agenda.
Speakers
President and CEO, Sesame Workshop
Senior Vice President, Save the Children's U.S. Programs
Founder and President, Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Chairwoman, Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families
Senior Advisor on Early Learning, to the Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education
Director, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University
Director, Georgetown University's Center for Child and Human Development
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Steve Barnett says without pre-school, children fall behind.
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Sen. Barbara Mikulski says 90 percent of brain development happens before the age of five.
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Jim Rohr says that poor early education is to blame for high unemployment rates.
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Diane Dodge outlines four pillars to a successful early education program.
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Mark Shriver says that early education is an economic issue as well as a social justice issue.
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Jacqueline Jones describes how technology helps teachers.
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Joan Lombardi says children under the age of 2 should not watch screens.
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Roberto Rodríguez fields questions on early childhood education.
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The conference began with remarks from Jenny Abramson, Jim Rohr and Steven Barnett.
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Session 3 featured Jacqueline Jones, Joan Lombardi, Diane Dodge and Phyllis Magrab.
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The keynote speech was delivered by Roberto Rodriguez.
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Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Mark Shriver discuss the need to invest in early education.
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Michael Levine and Mary Jordan discuss the role of new media in early education.
Photo Gallery
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Leaders in early childhood education, including W. Steven Barnett, Co-Director, National Institute for Early Education Research, gather for panel discussions at The Washington Post Wednesday, October 5, 2011 in Washington, DC.
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Senator Barbara Mikuilski, Chairwoman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions' Subcommittee on Children and Families and Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs for Save the Children, talk on stage with Mary Jordan, Editor of Washington Post Live.
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Senator Barbara Mikuilski talks with Mary Jordan about the need to invest in early childhood education.
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Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs for Save the Children, answers questions posed by Mary Jordan on the need to invest in early childhood education.
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Washington Post Live's Mary Jordan, left, leads a panel discussion on the future of early childhood education. Panelists include Jacqueline Jones, Diane Trister Dodge, Joan Lombardi, and Phyllis Magrab.
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Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor on Early Learning to the Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education, talks about the future of our children.
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Diane Trister Dodge, Founder and President of Teaching Strategies, Inc and Lead Author of The Creative Curriculum, answers questions from the audience.
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Joan Lombardi, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development of the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, answers questions during the day's second panel discussion.
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Phyllis Magrab, Director, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, answers a question posed by Mary Jordan during panel discussions.
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CEO and Chairman of the Board for The Washington Post Company Donald Graham talks to preschoolers about a special surprise - Cookie Monster and Elmo - who appeared during the luncheon.
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Area preschoolers joined the Washington Post Live at lunch to watch an Elmo and Cookie Monster skit and take a visit to a planetarium.
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Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy, talks onstage with Mary Jordan during lunch.
