Fact, the United States outspends every other country in the world, yet, still ranked 17th in reading, 21st in science, and 26th in math (OECD, 2012). There are several places where the education system fails students, and at very tip top, literally speaking, is early education. The articles I reviewed and will write about in my paper support early education, specifically, high quality early education. Some of the more interesting and informative publications came from a few different sources. One of the most interesting publications I read was from the Center for the Study of Social Policy. That publication basically set the framework for state policymakers to think about the policy decisions that create opportunities for young children to experience high quality education. Another article was written by the Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, which showed that high-quality preschool plays an important role in developing cognitive and social skills that children need for school readiness (Lara et al., 2009). I can easily ramble off numerous remarks and quotations about how important early education is for young children; however, the most eye-opening publications addressed real, relevant issues in American education. Here are few I would love to share. In Finland, 96-97% of young children attend a high-quality preschool. To work for the Finnish education system, you must graduate from a high school, be accepted into a highly completive teaching program (1 of every 10 applicants are selected) for which you will either receive a Bachelors (teaching preschool-aged children) or a Masters (teaching school-aged children), and pass rigorous testing just to step foot in a classroom. (Sahlberg, 2011). While my paper is not directed at teaching standards, it is focused on the importance of providing highly quality education for young children.

The first journal discussed is from the Center for the Study of Social Policy. That particular journal was written for Washington D.C. and its education department. I found that particular journal to be reader and teacher friendly. Another article came from the American Federation of Teachers and it provided valuable information regarding the Finnish education system. While not directly referenced above, I also found the National Association for the Education of Young Children to be quite helpful during the search for pertinent information. One of the articles came from the Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, which I found through