Dive Brief:

• On Tuesday, Rep. John Delaney (D-MD) sent a letter to House lawmakers calling for support on legislation that would give federal dollars to state preschool expansions.
• The letter's argument: “Establishing national pre-k will reduce the achievement gap, will improve the education all our kids receive and make our country more competitive.”
• States would have discretion on most details of their programs but would only receive the federal dollars if they offered free preschool for all four-year-olds.

Dive Insight:

The news comes on the heels of a study released earlier this week that found limited returns on Tennessee’s expanded preschool program. But even the study’s authors urged caution on judging preschool programs based on the results and other states have moved ahead with preschool programs. For example, the Michigan state legislature boosted funding for districts’ half-day preschool offerings. 

Meanwhile, a new study out of California has cautioned that preschool expansions will mean finding more high quality teaching candidates and reforming early education teacher training.