One district leading the way is Memphis City Schools (MCS). MCS, with the support of HMH, held its second annual Pre-K Express Event at the Cook Convention Center on Saturday, July 24. Based on a growing amount of research, Pre-K Express is part of an initiative by Memphis City Schools that attempts to reduce the number of inadequately prepared children entering kindergarten.

The Pre-K Express Event was offered to parents and children at no cost. Its goal was to educate families on school readiness and parent’s roles and responsibilities. This year, the event attracted nearly 5,000 parents and students, an increase from last year’s 2,000 participants.

“Research continues to show us that quality Pre-K education is vitally important in directing the future of a student,” said Dr. Carolyn Harvey, Director of Early Childhood for Memphis City Schools. “MCS and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are taking an important step in ensuring that students have access to the best education at the time when their minds develop the most.”

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt set up two Pre-K classrooms featuring Houghton Mifflin Pre-K Curriculum Kits, Everyday Counts Calendar Math and even gave away more than 10,000 books to families in attendance. The classrooms used HMH’s Bailey’s Book House, an interactive learning tool which is currently in use in all Pre-K classrooms within the Memphis City Schools system.

“For generations, educators have been teaming up with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to help transform Pre-K students into lifelong learners,” said Josef Blumenfeld, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for HMH. “Too often, the mistake is made of trying to impact a student’s learning behavior at the age of 5 or 6, which can be too late. With HMH’s visionary Pre-K programs, students receive a tremendous head start on their primary education with a solid foundation for how to learn.”

There have been numerous studies linking strong Pre-K programs with student’s future academic success. Research has shown that children who engage in high-quality early education are less likely to repeat grades, drop out of school or be placed in special education classes ( Education Week, 2004). A study done in North Carolina called the Abecedarian study compared two groups of infants — one which through age five was exposed to high-quality Pre-K education, and one that was not. At ages 12 and 15, follow-up tests concluded that the children who had been engaged in Pre-K education had considerably higher test scores in math and reading. Later, another follow up at age 21 revealed that students from the Pre-K group were more likely to be enrolled in or graduated from college (Education Week, 2004).

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has had a successful history in Pre-K education. Proven results have been seen in several areas such as early reading intervention with solutions like Houghton Mifflin Pre-K, Story Town and Earobics, which are based on scientific research and aligned with key Pre-K learning goals. All solutions utilize a multisensory format to provide children with the foundational literacy skills they need to succeed as lifelong learners.

For more information, visit www.mcsk12.net and click Pre-K Express.

To read the entire Education Week article, visit http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/prekindergarten.