Reflections on Doing Right by Kids: Early Childhood, K–12, and Higher Education

Education is a critical driver of social mobility and individual opportunity. However, the U.S. education system faces numerous challenges in delivering on this promise, from inconsistent early childhood readiness to concerns about the economic returns of higher education. Earlier today, I attended Doing Right by Kids: A Book Event at the American Enterprise Institute . I was particularly interested in the panel discussion on education with Checker Finn (early childhood), Martin West (K-12), and Beth Akers (higher education). The following are my takeaways.

Early Childhood Education: Targeted Interventions Are Key

According to Finn, the primary goal of early childhood education should be ensuring that children are prepared to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. However, current data shows that roughly half of children are not kindergarten-ready, with disadvantaged students disproportionately represented in this group.

Finn argues that public early childhood investments should be narrowly targeted to the children most in need of additional support, rather than universal programs. This could involve overhauling existing initiatives like Head Start to focus more on cognitive development and school readiness. Expanded kindergarten readiness assessment at the state and federal levels could help identify which interventions are working.

K-12: Troubling Trends and the Need for Innovation

The K-12 education discussion highlighted some concerning trends even before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling. As West notes, average student performance on the NAEP, The Nation's Report Card , has been stagnant or slightly declining over the past decade, while achievement gaps between the top and bottom 10% of students have widened. The retreat from accountability requirements may be contributing to these challenges.

One area of opportunity is the expansion of school choice, including education savings account programs now available in 13 states. However, West cautions that choice alone is not sufficient; even with more options, many students will remain in traditional public schools, necessitating a dual focus on innovation and improving existing schools. Policies should ensure all education providers are held accountable for student outcomes.

Higher Education: Restoring Confidence Through Accountability

Rising skepticism about the value of higher education is a growing concern, with college enrollment rates declining 10 percentage points in the past decade. As Beth Akers explains, there is a disconnect between the broad goals higher education serves and the economic mobility students and families expect it to provide.

To restore confidence, Akers argues higher education institutions must be held accountable for the economic outcomes of their programs. Her proposal would establish a "do no economic harm" standard for colleges, restricting federal aid for programs that consistently leave graduates earning less than the cost of attendance. Coupling this with additional grants for disadvantaged students could promote economic mobility while protecting students from low-return investments.

The Path Forward: Results, Resources, and Innovation

Across all three domains, the panelists converged on three key principles for education policy:

1. A focus on results rather than inputs alone;
2. Targeting public resources to the most disadvantaged students; and
3. A government role in spurring educational innovation.

Pursuing these objectives will require a sustained commitment and political will in the face of competing priorities and ideological debates. But the alternative--continued erosion of the education system's capacity to promote opportunity--is unacceptable. Only by honestly confronting the challenges and seizing opportunities for evidence-based reform can America's schools and colleges live up to their promise as engines of social mobility. The ideas raised by these experts offer a starting point for this essential work.