U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings released the following statement regarding the School Readiness Act of 2005 (Head Start):

I applaud today's congressional action to reauthorize the Head Start Act, especially with the emphasis being placed on school readiness. We know that what happens early in a child's life is critical to later success—in school and life. We also know that many children from disadvantaged environments are significantly behind their more affluent peers in the oral language, early reading and early mathematics skills essential for success in school. According to the National Center for Education Statistics' the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Study, twice as many first-graders from non-poor families are proficient at understanding words in context and performing multiplication and division as first-graders from poor families.

It does not have to be this way. If these students had entered kindergarten with strong oral language and reading readiness skills that were directly aligned to evidence-based reading approaches, the majority of them would have success in their later school years.

This bill is noteworthy in that it strengthens the focus on scientifically based approaches to teaching low-income preschool children—those who are most at-risk—the oral language abilities, emergent literacy skills and early mathematics concepts they will need in order to succeed. The bill also addresses the critical need to align Head Start programs to K-12 evidence-based academic standards and programs—an essential factor in ensuring that that all children succeed in a seamless learning environment. Additionally, in an effort to ensure that young children have access to the services and programs they need, the bill strengthens the partnerships and coordination with other early childhood programs. Further, the bill addresses the need for teachers and parents to forge partnerships to promote early learning and literacy development at home as well in the classroom.

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