By Mark Swartz September 10, 2020 The Founding Fathers built competition among the states into our system of government. With 50-plus laboratories for democracy, we’re bound to come up with powerful and efficient ideas for optimizing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At least that’s how it’s supposed to work....
Gov. Ralph Northam and the First Lady of Virginia Talk Early Education Platform with Dan Rather. ...
By IndieWire Staff August 24, 2020 The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, The Hunt Institute, and The Ounce of Prevention have announced two special, free events to support Willa Kammerer’s upcoming documentary “Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America.” The film culminates with a call to governors to invest in high-quality early childhood education to support today’s workforce and the workforce of tomorrow....
By Cinemacy August 2020 The debate about ways to enhance our system of education often lacks voices to represent our youngest learners. Our concern about increasing test scores for school-age children and similar standards of evaluation fails to shed light on the conversation we really should be having, and that is the attention to the earliest years. Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America director Willa Kammerer effectively highlights this too often neglected topic in a powerful way....
By Summer Evans August 13, 2020 Kindergarten began in Germany and arrived in the United States in the mid-19th century. Since that time, kindergarten has been considered the beginning of formal education. For a long time, researchers have known that education really starts at birth and early education (pre-K) should be available to all. Willa Kammerer’s new documentary “Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America” showcases the importance and power of investing in high-quality early childhood education so that all children and families have...
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer join Lt Governor Juliana Stratton and Former Secretary of Education John King in a discussion on the importance of early childhood education in advance of the Starting At Zero world premiere....
By Shayna Maci Warner and Tatiana McInnis July 31, 2020 “Starting at Zero” explores the power of investing in high-quality early childhood education so that all children and families have the opportunity to attain the American Dream. The film brings together the voices of policymakers, educators, academics, business leaders, pediatricians, parents, and children. “Starting at Zero” culminates with a call to governors across America for collective action: to set our nation on the path to future success through significant investments in high-quality...
By Early Learning Nation July 2020 On Tuesday, July 21, The Hunt Institute hosted three philanthropic leaders for a conversation about early childhood philanthropy amidst COVID-19. Dr. Dan Wuori, director of Early Learning, moderated the panel, which featured: • Elliot Haspel (an Early Learning Nation contributor) of the Robins Foundation • Eva Roberts of the Buffett Early Childhood Fund • Elliot Steinberg of the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation—which produced two upcoming documentaries on early childhood, Tomorrow’s Hope and Starting at Zero...
By Dave McNarry July 27, 2020 Abramorama has bought the theatrical rights to the documentary film “Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America” and will release it in virtual cinemas starting on Aug. 14. The film is presented by the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, The Hunt Institute and The Ounce of Prevention....
February 8, 2020 By Jackie Mader, The Hechinger Report This article about play-based kindergarten was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education....
Mother Jones By Kiera Butler January/February 2019 How did Alabama, of all places, end up with some of the nation’s most effective preschools? It wasn’t by accident. Much of the credit goes to the program’s key architect, a quiet powerhouse named Jeana Ross. As a young teacher in a poor, rural part of the state during the 1970s, Ross noticed that her students learned better through play and experiences than from a teacher droning on. When she realized most of them had never been...