Steubenville, Ohio, is the focus of Emily Hanford’s latest episode of Sold a Story, a podcast investigating reading instruction in the U.S. that has influenced state literacy policies. Steubenville has garnered attention for its success in helping students become strong readers by the end of third grade.

QUOTABLE & NOTABLE

“People are drawn to work through a mixture of values and practical considerations; their motivations for having kids are likely going to be the same. I think this sort of validation is particularly important for work that asks more of people than money can ever really repay. How do you adequately compensate a soldier for risking his life? I don’t think you can. We account for this irredeemable sacrifice by honoring it — certainly not by pretending that the soldier risks his life for his own good.

“All around me, I can see that parents, and mothers in particular, are desperate for some recognition that the work they are undertaking is valuable, not just for themselves or their children, but for the world. Will people be motivated to have kids for the sake of GDP? Maybe not, if you put it that way. But does the prospect of serving one’s community and society motivate people to take on emotionally and physically taxing, even life-risking, work? Yes, all the time.”

Who:

Stephanie H. Murray

Where:

“Are We Willing to Admit That We Need Parents?” published in The Dispatch (not to be confused with The Columbus Dispatch)

FACT OF THE WEEK

Many states have expanded free school meal programs in recent years, with access to free breakfast and lunch credited for impacting student attendance, behavior, health, and educational outcomes. Ohio lawmakers have proposed a new bill this legislative session to offset costs not covered through federal funds. The estimated allocation for the program is $300 million.

POLICY RADAR

Ohio

As shared above in Fact of the Week, Ohio lawmakers have outlined their proposal to pay for free school meals in Senate Bill 109, with hopes that the bill will be adopted into the state’s biennial budget bill.

Federal

If you’re following actions being taken — or talked about — by the Trump Administration, then you know that there have been calls to reconfigure or abolish the U.S. Department of Education. Brookings offers a helpful FAQ guide on whether this is possible (or likely) and what it would mean for American education. New America recaps what could be at stake for the two largest federal funding streams overseen by the agency, IDEA and Title 1. The Century Foundation discusses possible impacts on early learners, in particular.

FYI

Groundwork Ohio hosts The Morning Meeting on Thursdays from 9:30-10 a.m. The meeting brings together Ohio policymakers and advocates to discuss policy updates affecting children and families.

EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

The Big Ten Early Learning Alliance is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, March 12, at 1 p.m. ET about early math learning. Panelists will discuss early math standards in Big Ten states, how to assess math learning both in the classroom and at home, and the brain science behind numerical development. The Alliance just published a brief exploring state early learning standards in mathematics across the 14 states with Big Ten universities.

BEYOND THE BUCKEYE STATE

Iowa’s governor and state lawmakers are hoping to expand funding for child care, with a particular focus on helping to expand services to full-day care.

Chalkbeat reports on the risk of the growing role played by private equity in child care, and efforts by Colorado lawmakers to establish guardrails for private-equity backed child care centers.

WHAT WE'RE READING

The Center for American Progress published a comprehensive write-up and resource page on child care in the U.S. It covers the basics as well as good explanations for why the child care market is broken, why care is so expensive, and why further investments are needed.

Vox covers the rise in enrollment of 4-year-olds in publicly funded preschool programs. The author attributes some of this progress to the 2000s Pre-K Now campaign, which helped change the narrative of center-based care for young children from care to education.

RESEARCH ROUNDUP

A new study published in Personality and Individual Differences examines intergenerational effects between Chinese parents who experienced childhood maltreatment and depression, and their current children’s experiences of the same conditions. Researchers conducted both child and parent surveys with 529 elementary school children and their parents in mainland China and asked about childhood trauma and depression. Results suggest a strong association between a parent's experience of childhood maltreatment and their child’s exposure to maltreatment, and show that parental physical abuse and child emotional abuse may be central to the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. There were no significant associations between parental depression and child depression in this study. The authors note that these results may not be generalized to other countries and future research should include larger samples from multiple countries and cultural backgrounds.

This edition was written by Jamie O’Leary and Janelle Williamson.

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