The Alabama Board of Education last week voted to ask legislators for an additional $5 million to supplement the $19 million per year the state already pays for pre-K.

Early learning is likely to be one of the few bright areas in the 2013 state budget after years of retreat.  Early education is increasingly seen as essential to the learning process of a child and the State Education Department is gearing up to increase its investment in pre-kindergarten programs.

Voters in Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County Tuesday rejected a countywide half-cent sales tax increase which was expected to raise about $60 million, including $30 million for schools.  With 97 percent of the precincts reporting, 69 percent of voters were opposed to paying another half cent on a dollar in sales tax, with 31 percent voting in favor of the hike.

Cutting a piece of paper with scissors. Catching a ball or hopping in the air. The way words are formed and sound. Knowing the names of colors.  These are simple actions for many children of pre-kindergarten age. However, some might have trouble with them, indicating developmental problems.

A $130 million initiative for pre-kindergarten education is in the early stages of development, according to the Michigan Department of Education, and a local early childhood expert is calling it one of the wisest investments the community can make for children.

State Superintendent John White laid out plans Tuesday for bringing all of Louisiana's publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs under a new accountability system over the next three years, hoping to ensure that tax dollars go to programs that give students a leg up once they enter primary school. It's part of a broader effort under way at the state Department of Education to flesh out a series of education laws passed during the spring session at the state Legislature this year.

Prosecutors like [Seth] Williams are recognizing that the "lock-'em-up" strategy doesn't work. Early education is more likely to keep kids out of trouble to begin with.

Kentucky is taking steps to implement one common kindergarten readiness screener accompanied by best-practice guidelines for all schools. This is a collaborative effort between the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood and the Kentucky Department of Education based on recommendations from the Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Development.

From Education Minister Marie Malavoy to the Conseil supérieur de l’éducation, the province’s education experts are turning to 4-year-olds in their battle against Quebec’s high dropout rate. The problem is enormous: Nearly one in three Montreal high-school students leaves school before graduating, ill-equipped to join a workplace that puts a premium on knowledge.