Extra Credit

College charter schools

The jury is still out on Texas charter schools, but I'm interested in the notion of universities - especially those with solid education schools - running their own charter elementary schools as a sort of on-campus teaching lab. Click here to read UT-Austin's news release on their first group of fifth-graders to graduate from the University of Texas Elementary School. Says 100 percent of those 40 students passed the TAKS reading test and 97 percent passed the math portion of the test.

- Kristin Sullivan

No more pencils, no more books ...

I was the kid who used to cry at the end of the school year. I loved school that much. (Elementary school anyway. Junior high was another story ...) My son, Jack, is following in my footsteps. Today was his last day of preschool (until next fall -- he's going back) and he cried as we left the building, waving to the directors and saying he loved his school and would miss his teacher Ms. Heidi and all of his friends.
While I know he won't always get teary at end of each school year, I hope his love of learning continues to grow and last during his lifetime.
And from our house to yours, happy summer!

- Julie Sobczyk Mitchell

For preschoolers, climbing the ladder of math success

U.S. News & World Report has a little item on a new study that says board games such as Chutes and Ladders really can help preschoolers develop math skills. That's good news for our house, where Chutes and Ladders is among my 4-year-old's favorite games.

-- Julie Sobczyk Mitchell

School for babies?

At first this sounds a little ridiculous, but research suggests that infants and toddlers absorb more and should begin their education earlier, especially poor children and those at risk for failure in school. Read more about it in a Chicago Tribune article.

  -Martha Deller

TV especially for babies

Raise your hand if you've ever plopped your little one in front of the DVD made for babies so you could get some housework done or cook dinner or just get 5 minutes of peace. But did you actually think it'd make your kid smarter?

Now, check out S-T special contributor Buzz McClain's story on BabyFirstTV, a 24-hour channel for babies.

Any thoughts?

-- Julie Sobczyk Mitchell

Texas messes with kids?

Texas is one of the 10 worst states for children, according to a report coming out today by the nonprofit group Every Child Matters Education Fund.

Texas got lumped into this category with states like Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota based on 10 "child well-being standards" including lack of access to prenatal care, premature deaths, malnutrition, poverty, child abuse and teen incarceration. The list is alphabetical, real rankings will come out around noon with the report.

Children in the bottom 10 states, according to the report, are three times more likely to die before the age of 14, five times more likely to be uninsured and eight times more likely to be incarcerated as teens.

The top states? Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

For more information and the full report, go to the ECMEF's web site.

Is Texas such a terrible place? Let us know what you think.

- Katherine Cromer Brock

Preschool milestones

Today was a bit of a milestone for my preschooler, Jack. Beginning today, he and his fellow pre-kindergarten students were required to haul all of their belongings (backpack, lunchbox, nap mat, in/out folders) to their classrooms. Alone. Without Mom or Dad. 

Jack was nervous about the new "rule," which the director says will help him and the other kids get ready for kindergarten, when Mom and Dad can't help out as much. (Jack is being redshirted in the fall, but he still has to follow this rule.)

But, he did just fine -- and without tears. He's getting to be more independent as the months pass, something that's a little bittersweet for me.

-- Julie Sobczyk Mitchell

Weekend fun is rolling along

My preschooler's favorite cheeky character, Thomas the Tank Engine, comes chugging into Grapevine this weekend, so I know where I'll be spending part of my Sunday afternoon. (Actually, I like Thomas. The show and characters helped my Jack learn his colors and numbers, among other things.)

Click here for our roundup of other fun things to do this weekend.

-- Julie Sobczyk Mitchell

Your A.M. roundup

In today's Star-Telegram:

It's time for preliminary TAKS results, and Katherine Cromer Brock has the first installment.

Terry Lee Goodrich has the details on where TCU's Brite Divinity School is moving its event at which the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright will be honored this weekend. UPDATE (10:17 a.m.): Wright is canceling speeches planned for Houston, and his North Texas appearance is now in question.

Martha Deller looks at a childhood nutrition program that one Fort Worth preschool has fully embraced.

Tarrant County College is ready to take a major step for its planned downtown campus, Sandra Baker reports

-Patrick M. Walker

Texas rocks Pre-K

Experts have long said access to preschool will help students perform better throughout their education. Well good news for Texas. The National Institute for Early Education Research released its annual "State of  Preschool" report today, and we ranked fifth in giving pre-kindergarten access to 4-year-olds. See the full report here.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

(image from Davis Elementary's Pre-K circus last month. To see video of it, click here.)