美国国家公共电台 NPR Preschool, A State-By-State Update

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

More states than ever are funding preschool. That is according to a new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research or NIEER. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

CLAUDIO SANCHEZ, BYLINE¹: Forty-three states plus the District of Columbia and Guam today offer pre-K programs. They serve about 1.5 million children across the country, mostly 3 and 4 year olds. Total state spending on preschool is now about $7.4 billion, an 8 percent increase since last year. That increase has pushed spending to nearly $5,000 per child.

Overall, the quality of state-funded preschool programs has improved. Alabama and Rhode Island lead the way with standards that include smaller class sizes and well-trained teachers. So yes, these findings are encouraging, but Steve Barnett, head of NIEER, cautions that the quality of preschool programs nationwide is very uneven².

STEVEN BARNETT: The growing inequality between the states that have moved ahead and states who do nothing is really stark³.

SANCHEZ: Barnett says the reasons for that vary. Florida, for example, spends roughly half of what Alabama and most other states spend. And many of these programs only reach a fraction of their 3 and 4 year olds. Seven states do not fund preschool at all. Claudio Sanchez, NPR News.

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1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

3 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。