In yesterday's Hartford Courant, the State Education Commissioner said that the state needs more control over struggling urban school districts.

Instead of confronting the realities of what urban school children need to thrive, the commissioner proposes adding yet another layer of bureacracy to school systems already overburdened with far too many layers of administration.

Doesn't the Commissioner and the Governor who appoints her realize that the single most important thing that the State of Connecticut can do for urban school children is provide children with the high quality early education experience they need to start school right?

With one of most intense income divides in the country, our inability to prioritize serious investments in early education is truly unacceptable. We are doing little to address the growing gap in the possibilities and opportunities available to children depending on what families they are born into.

The evidence that early education is the most effective use of government dollars for children is overwhelming.

In New Haven, the Mayor has invested time, energy and precious resources on early education--with little help or support from the state. The number of children receiving a pre-school experience has gone from 47 to 76 percent through the hard work of activists, parents, pre-school teachers and the DeStefano Administration.

States like Oklahoma, Arkansas and North Carolina are leading the way, pioneering innovative, ambitious programs that give every child a chance to succeed. We can too. We must. That is what our struggling urban schools district need. Not more bureacracy.

As one of my favorite people from Texas always says, "Be a do-baby, not a cry-baby." 

Check out our supporter profile later this afternoon to learn about a woman really making a difference for urban school children.