The Delta Issue #113

Rahm Emanuel is Taking Notes From Louisiana. Other Leaders Should, Too.

Hi y’all, Jessica here.

In a political environment where it feels like we can’t agree on much of anything, it was nice to see some rare, bipartisan agreement around an issue that should unite us all: Every child deserves a great start in life, and we have a responsibility to build education systems that deliver on that promise.

Former Chicago Mayor and Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been traveling the country to learn from states making progress in education. One of his recent stops was Louisiana, where he got a closer look at the state’s work to strengthen early childhood education.

Last weekend, he joined Meet the Press to share what he learned. And in a moment you don’t see every day, the very next guest, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, applauded his visit to the state. A Democrat and a Republican finding common ground on what it takes to give kids a better start to life? I’ll take more of that!

Louisiana’s story holds a special place in our hearts at Watershed, and I have to say, it was pretty special to see it get this kind of national attention. Today, I want to share a little more about what it took to get here and what other states can learn from the experience.

A few things from his conversation that stood out to us:

1️⃣ Louisiana is showing what’s possible when early childhood education operates as a system, not a collection of programs.

As Emanuel put it:

“In Louisiana, they figured out how to put pre-K, Head Start, and day care together into one single education policy…. raising the standards on daycare, as an education, Head Start, and third the pre-K into a single educational thing was revolutionary.”

You’ve heard me say before that early childhood education is a system that’s not really a system. We have all these programs meant to serve young children and families, but they operate with different funding streams, standards, and requirements. And too often, we leave it to families to figure out how all the pieces fit together.

I got to see firsthand in Louisiana what it takes to change that. By bringing child care, Head Start, and pre-K together as part of one early childhood education system, we were able to raise expectations for quality across programs, make it easier for families to access services, and ultimately do a better job serving kids and families.

2️⃣ We can protect Head Start AND make it better.

A few weeks ago, we talked about how we shouldn’t have to choose between protecting Head Start and making it better. I was glad to hear Emanuel make a similar point:

“I don’t think we should just snap back the Head Start that President Trump is trying to dismantle. I think it’s a disaster what he’s doing. But we shouldn’t say that what was happening before was perfect.”

We don’t have to defend everything about how Head Start works today to recognize how important it is for kids and families. We can fight to protect it while also being willing to take a hard look at what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change to make it better.

3️⃣ Louisiana’s progress is the result of years of sustained work, not a single policy.

Louisiana’s story is bigger than early childhood education. Over the past 15 years, the state has worked to strengthen instruction, raise expectations for students, and get the different parts of its education system pulling in the same direction. Emanuel also drew attention to the progress Louisiana and Mississippi have made:

“50% of kids cannot read at grade level, and we as a country have thrown the towel on them. Louisiana hasn’t. Mississippi hasn’t.”

For states looking to follow in Louisiana’s footsteps, here’s what I’d say: There’s no silver bullet or one-shot policy that’s going to get you there. There are tough calls to make, things that don’t work the first time, and plenty of moments when you have to go back to the drawing board. Louisiana certainly hasn’t figured it all out, but the state has kept its eye on the ball: making sure more kids are learning.

Want to understand how Louisiana got here?

We’ve written quite a bit about Louisiana’s education journey in The Delta. If you want to understand how the state got here, and what other states can learn from its experience, here are a few places to start: