Is New England Ready for P-20?: A Report Card on Efforts to Expand the K-12 Notion from Preschool to Grade 20

These authors state that, while New England schools serve the children of the affluent very well, many children from low-income backgrounds are left behind at key points in the "non-system" that is perpetuated from preschool through college and beyond. They suggest that all segments of New England education should work more closely together so that more children, especially urban and rural students, could complete college degrees. Nationally, the State Higher Education Executive Officers association, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Governors Association have defined higher expectations around preschool through "grade 20" collaboration, and, with the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, have invested $10 million in the New England states. The authors reviewed how the six New England states began persuading higher education to work with the early childhood and K-12 systems toward the the "P-20" goal. This article presents the findings of this review, citing the progress that has been made, and the barriers that persist.