Christina Weiland, Brian Jacob, and Jordan Berne publish op-ed in the Spokesman-Review

Since 2019, Professors Christina Weiland and Brian Jacob, along with doctoral candidate Jordan Berne, have been researching the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program in Michigan, the second-largest in the nation. Together, they have published an op-ed in the Spokesman-Review offering guidance to the Legislature in Washington State as it considers several bills regarding its TK program’s future, including: addressing concerns that TK will crowd out other early learning opportunities offered in the state; working to ensure that communities with fewer resources are not left out of the program; giving additional focus to providing a high-quality TK experience; and the importance of rigorous research as the program expands in Washington.

“With TK emerging as an important part of Washington’s early childhood landscape, the Legislature should be applauded for its careful attention to the program, especially at a fiscally fraught time in the state,” write the authors. “Moving more young children in Washington to opportunity is a smart investment in the state’s future—a future in which it is increasingly clear that TK has a role to play.”