A curious American row about early education

Nursery education

Winning grades

Americans argue about the need for early schooling

Mar 23rd 2013 | CHICAGO AND NEW YORK |From the print edition

“WHAT part of the book is this?” asks the teacher, pointing to the binding. Twenty children of three and four answer: “The spine!” The instructor then asks, “Where is your spine?” and all the little pupils point to the right place. They arrived at eight this morning at Harlem Children’s Zone in New York, and were given breakfast. Later they will have lunch and take a nap. Although there is plenty of time to play, they spend much of their day learning letters, numbers, vocabulary and even manners. Marilyn Joseph, who heads the early-learning programme, says they want to make poor children as ready for school as those from better-off families. [More...]

A piece written and reported by Rosemarie Ward and myself.