Early Childhood Education and literacy and choice

Recently, KTBS-3 co-anchor Johnette Magner and I interviewed the two new school superintendents of Caddo on Bossier Parish on our KTBS-3 education podcast series “Education Check-Up.” These interviews of Keith Burton from Caddo and Jason Rowland from Bossier give a great look at the promises of our school leaders in providing the best education for the families in our community.

This Forum article is a four-part series that will concentrate on early childhood education and literacy, choice in public education, the impact of the COVID pandemic, relevance in the middle and high school years, and the importance of collaboration of education and community. The first article will focus on early childhood education (ECE), literacy and choice in education.

Our investment in ECE is a key to the future of our community. Superintendent Burton of Caddo noted that “investment in early childhood education programs provide a strong foundation in literacy, numeracy and social skills.” Over the last four years, the Community Foundation of North Louisiana has made a mighty effort to join with businesses and philanthropists to raise millions of dollars to increase ECE initiatives in our community.

New incentives to push schools to have all children reach proficiency in reading by the third grade have been passed by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the legislature. Going back to basics with phonics has resulted in significant gains in reading and reading comprehension in our state, and focus on math facts has led to better elementary math scores.

These gains provide opportunities for our children, and improved reading scores correlate with the number of required jail cells in our state in the future. The better the scores, the less need for adult prison space in the future.

For those with significant reading difficulties, a new charter school exists now at the former Arthur Circle School. It serves all of NW Louisiana as a specialty school focusing on intensive individualized instruction for students with dyslexia. The Louisiana Key Academy is a public school and is tuition-free.

Expanding parental choices is an important part of expanding opportunities to our community. Magnet programs, specialized academies, charter schools, career and technical focus at specific school locations, advanced placement and dual enrollment are all opportunities within the public system.

Caddo Superintendent Burton noted, “I think something that needs to be a continued focus of ours is increasing future choice opportunities for parents so that kids can know their passion. The key is access to opportunities.”

Choice in education allows families to pair schools to their child’s needs. It is about finding the right school for an individual student. There are many reasons children need choices in education beyond academics or comparing school performance scores. The reason for changing schools can be academic or specialized offerings for some, but choice can be beneficial in dealing with relationships between children, teachers and parents.

The common thread of both superintendents is their dedication to providing opportunities for children and families. This begins with greater offerings of early childhood education and the “get back to the basics” approach in literacy and numeracy. In developing opportunities, each system provides more choices for families throughout each school system.

Dr. Rozeman is a practicing cardiologist and co-host of a podcast, “Education Check Up.” He is board chairman of the Louisiana Committee of 100 and has recently received the Bob Hamm Distinguished Service Award from the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL).