Competence to Excellence: Building on the Standards of Learning Successes
Governor Timothy M. Kaine’s address to the Board of Education
April 26, 2006
Excerpt #2 Transcript

The achievement gaps that still persist among our students, and can often be seen to divide our students along racial, ethnic, and economic lines, actually start as “readiness gaps” before our children even enter school. At present, too many children are unprepared for learning when they enter kindergarten and quickly fall behind. We see this when we look at schools where third graders are struggling to pass SOL tests in mathematics and especially reading. So, another major focus of my time as governor in my public education plan is to increase access to affordable and quality preschool programs throughout this commonwealth.

Early childhood education builds a foundation for academic and economic success. No one knows this better than those in this room. Expanding access to quality pre-K programs will lead – it has been demonstrated in research again and again and again – it will lead to increased achievement in elementary schools, and eventually, in middle and high schools, and eventually in college, and in the economic careers that our students choose.