Whom are Ontario politicians more interested in helping - disadvantaged kids or themselves?

Everybody wants to help disadvantaged kids do better in school, and so lots of jurisdictions have tried all kinds of early childhood intervention programs. After all, it looks as if the parents of these kids aren't doing a very good job and it feels intuitively right that well-educated and well-meaning outsiders can help disadvantaged kids overcome their bad start in life.

But facts are stubborn things, and here is a rundown of the track record of early childhood intervention programs to date - including a newly-released study from Tennessee.

The lack of success of most of these other early childhood intervention programs did not bode well for Ontario's universal full-day kindergarten program, and so it came as a surprise to those in the know when the Ontario Minister of Education reported stellar success last September.  (more...)

Whom are Ontario politicians more interested in helping - disadvantaged kids or themselves?