The recent election rhetoric, the Times- Picayune analysis of gubernatorial candidate’s responses, and PAR’s “Election 2007” analysis of Louisiana’s issues lead to two conclusions:

Section: Votenews

Phyllis Landrieu - President, Orleans Parish Schoo

Dear Friends and Citizens of Louisiana:

In this first century of the new millennium, Louisiana has a unique opportunity to finally take our place among the successful states in America. With the rich advantages and the loving and giving people, Louisiana could be a model for what each state should be. We must take this election very seriously. It will determine our future for a long time to come. Please pay close attention, get involved, make demands of candidates, and elect only the most competent of leaders. Assure our children continued happiness and success in Louisiana. Let’s meet this great challenge. Please read the attached document and if you agree, distribute it to other voters. Thank you.

The recent election rhetoric, the Times- Picayune analysis of gubernatorial candidate’s responses, and PAR’s “Election 2007” analysis of Louisiana’s issues lead to two conclusions:

1. Louisiana has rich resources and a great opportunity to improve our quality of life if
we elect a strong leader who will exercise fiscal control, and develop and enforce a
meaningful plan on which to build our future.

2. Louisiana can only succeed if the next governor makes Education his number one
priority and begins with early childhood education.

Louisiana’s future depends on drastically improving education – moving our status
from last in the country. The state has instituted significant initiatives in recent years,
but none of them has moved us out of last place (some may argue we are fourth from
last. No difference.) The one and only initiative that will improve education is to
teach our children from birth. We can’t wait until they are 5 to begin. We must begin
at birth.

It is well documented that poor children, who comprise a majority of the children who
attend Louisiana’s public school system, enter first grade ill equipped to learn and are
condemned to a gradual decline in their ability to succeed academically, and
eventually to failure.

Many poor children are born of teen parents, who have had no prenatal care, resulting
in low birth weight. Many suffer from neglect, malnutrition, abuse and infirmities and
undiagnosed illnesses like asthma and diabetes. Poor children enter school with little
social development, lacking skills to confront adversity, without direction and
ambition, and often having only a 300 word vocabulary compared to the 1500 words
of affluent children. Lacking these tools, they are incapable of succeeding in school.

Dr. Pat Cooper, CEO of a program being developed by the Early Childhood and
Family Learning Foundation in New Orleans has proven results from two previous
school districts. He has taken performance scores from last to first, he has reduced
teen pregnancy by 75%, decreased drop out rates to 2 and increased graduation

rates to 98. Over time and with simultaneous educational, social, physical and
mental health programs administered to children in this vital time period, he has
prepared them to enter first grade on level with their peers and ready and able to
succeed in the long term. And the program follows them through high school, assuring
them the maximum opportunity for success and graduation.

This is the program that our next Governor must embrace and implement. Many
educators in Louisiana have already begun to implement these programs. But it must
be a state priority, adequately funded, universally applied to all children, for it to begin
to change Louisiana. And it will assure economic success. For every $1 invested to
early childhood education, there is an $8 return (Southern Regional Education
Conference, 2007.)