Early Educational Outreach Programs for Underprivileged Youths

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Does anyone know where exactly the cure for cancer or AIDS lies? Clearly, the answer is no, and that would be acceptable, so long as we were taking advantage of all the resources we have access to in order to find it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. These resources, though, are not the most up-to-date computers or advanced biotechnology, but rather the minds of the individuals where the genius necessary to produce such items exists. These individuals, however, are not always as fortunate as others, financially speaking. While they are perfectly able to enroll in public school and receive an education, children who are hovering around or below the poverty line are statistically less likely to achieve a level of educational attainment as high as their wealthier counterparts (Ferguson et al 702). Because public schooling begins at age five, and the critical period for child development takes place within the first few years of life, the most reasonable explanation behind this educational ineptitude must lie within the quality or absence of a preschool experience. Therefore, I believe that providing additional early educational outreach opportunities encompassing all underprivileged youths can allow for a more advantageous development for the individual, and reverse the effects of poverty, in turn having a positive impact on the nation’s job market.

First, one must identify what exactly determines this school readiness. According to Kagan, “[it] sanctions a fixed standard of physical, intellectual, and social development sufficient to enable children to fulfill specific school requirements and to assimilate the curriculum” (49). This standard is often used to determine whether an individual requires a special education or not,...

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...d Health 12.8 (2007): 701-06. National Institutes of Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2007. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.

Isaacs, Julia B. Starting School at a Disadvantage: The School Readiness of Poor Children. Brookings.edu. The Social Genome Project, Mar. 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.

Kagan, Sharon L. "Readiness Past, Present, and Future: Shaping the Agenda." Young Children 48.1 (1992): 48-53. Print.

Sornson, Robert. "Preventing Early School Failure." Preventing Early Learning Failure. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001. 177. Print.

"Federal On-budget Funds for Education, by Level/educational Purpose, Agency, and Program: Selected Fiscal Years, 1970 through 2012." Federal On-budget Funds for Education, by Level/educational Purpose, Agency, and Program. Digest of Education Statistics, Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.

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