WEBVTT

00:00:00.754 --> 00:00:02.447
I am an historian,

00:00:02.447 --> 00:00:06.870
and what I love about being an historian
is it gives you perspective.

NOTE Paragraph

00:00:06.870 --> 00:00:11.389
Today, I'd like to bring that perspective
to education in the United States.

00:00:11.977 --> 00:00:14.770
About the only thing people can agree on

00:00:14.770 --> 00:00:19.369
is the most strategic time
for a child to start learning is early.

00:00:20.014 --> 00:00:23.542
Over 50 years ago, there was
a watershed moment

00:00:23.542 --> 00:00:27.129
in early education
in the US called Head Start.

00:00:27.129 --> 00:00:30.905
Now, historians love watersheds
because it makes it so easy to talk

00:00:30.905 --> 00:00:33.871
about what came before and what's happened since.

00:00:33.871 --> 00:00:37.133
Before Head Start, basically nothing.

00:00:37.133 --> 00:00:42.387
With Head Start, we begin to get
our nation's most at-risk children

00:00:42.387 --> 00:00:43.836
ready for school.

NOTE Paragraph

00:00:43.836 --> 00:00:46.792
Since Head Start, we've made strides,

00:00:46.792 --> 00:00:50.356
but there are still
2.2 million children in the US

00:00:50.356 --> 00:00:52.874
without access to early learning,

00:00:52.874 --> 00:00:56.860
or more than half of
the four-year olds in the country.

00:00:56.860 --> 00:00:58.751
That's a problem,

00:00:58.751 --> 00:01:02.084
but the bigger problem is what we know
happens to those children.

00:01:02.084 --> 00:01:05.674
At-risk children who reach school
without basic skills

00:01:05.674 --> 00:01:09.040
are 25 percent more likely to drop out,

00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:11.784
40 percent more likely
to become teen parents,

00:01:11.784 --> 00:01:14.616
and 60 percent less likely
to go to college.

NOTE Paragraph

00:01:15.132 --> 00:01:19.176
So if we know how important
early education is,

00:01:19.176 --> 00:01:21.392
why aren't all children getting it?

00:01:21.392 --> 00:01:25.482
There are barriers that the solutions
we've come up with to date

00:01:25.482 --> 00:01:27.096
simply can't overcome.

NOTE Paragraph

00:01:27.545 --> 00:01:30.328
Geography: think rural and remote.

NOTE Paragraph

00:01:30.328 --> 00:01:34.249
Transportation: think
working parents everywhere.

NOTE Paragraph

00:01:34.249 --> 00:01:39.048
Parent choice: no state requires
a four-year old to go to school.

NOTE Paragraph

00:01:39.048 --> 00:01:44.167
And cost: the average cost for a state
to educate a preschooler

00:01:44.167 --> 00:01:46.861
is five thousand dollars a year.

00:01:47.833 --> 00:01:50.946
So am I just going
to keep talking about problems?

00:01:50.946 --> 00:01:51.856
No.

00:01:51.856 --> 00:01:57.171
Today, I want to tell you about
a cost-effective, technology-delivered,

00:01:57.171 --> 00:02:01.035
kindergarten readiness program
that can be done in the home.

00:02:01.261 --> 00:02:05.667
It's called UPSTART, and more than
60,000 preschoolers in the US

00:02:05.667 --> 00:02:07.645
have already used it.

NOTE Paragraph

00:02:07.925 --> 00:02:10.035
Now, I know what you might be thinking:

00:02:10.035 --> 00:02:13.860
here's another person throwing tech
at a national problem.

00:02:13.860 --> 00:02:16.347
And you'd be partially right.

00:02:16.347 --> 00:02:21.263
We develop early learning software
designed to individualize instruction

00:02:21.263 --> 00:02:23.894
so children can learn at their own pace.

00:02:24.113 --> 00:02:29.541
To do that, we rely on experts from fields
ranging from reading to sociology

00:02:29.541 --> 00:02:33.440
to brain science development
to all aspects of early learning

00:02:33.440 --> 00:02:37.152
to tell us what the software
should do and look like.

NOTE Paragraph

00:02:37.152 --> 00:02:38.661
Here's an example.

NOTE Paragraph

00:02:38.661 --> 00:02:42.607
(Video) Voice (sings): Zero.

00:02:42.607 --> 00:02:44.429
Zero.

00:02:44.429 --> 00:02:48.145
Zero is the number
that's different from the others.

00:02:48.145 --> 00:02:51.258
Zero is a big round "O."

00:02:51.891 --> 00:02:53.668
It's not like one,

00:02:53.668 --> 00:02:55.902
I'm sure you'll discover.

00:02:55.902 --> 00:02:59.288
Zero is a big round "O."

NOTE Paragraph

00:02:59.886 --> 00:03:01.215
(Laughter)

NOTE Paragraph

00:03:01.215 --> 00:03:03.149
Claudia Miner: That is "The Zero Song."

NOTE Paragraph

00:03:03.149 --> 00:03:05.359
(Laughter)

NOTE Paragraph

00:03:05.359 --> 00:03:10.774
And here are Odd Todd and Even Steven
to teach you some things about numbers.

00:03:10.963 --> 00:03:13.594
And here are the Word Birds,
and they're going to show you

00:03:13.594 --> 00:03:17.142
when you blend letter sounds together,
you can form words.

00:03:17.142 --> 00:03:21.278
You can see that instruction
is short, colorful and catchy,

00:03:21.278 --> 00:03:24.414
designed to capture a child's attention.

00:03:25.078 --> 00:03:27.563
But there's another piece to UPSTART

00:03:27.563 --> 00:03:29.916
that makes it different
and more effective.

00:03:29.916 --> 00:03:34.216
UPSTART puts parents in charge
of their children's education.

00:03:34.816 --> 00:03:37.417
We believe, with the right support,

00:03:37.417 --> 00:03:42.284
all parents can get their children
ready for school.

NOTE Paragraph

00:03:43.290 --> 00:03:45.270
Here's how it works.

00:03:45.270 --> 00:03:48.479
This is a kindergarten readiness
checklist from a state,

00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.180
and almost every state has one.

00:03:51.180 --> 00:03:53.344
We go to parents wherever they are

00:03:53.344 --> 00:03:56.405
and we conduct a key
in-person group training,

00:03:56.768 --> 00:04:02.470
and we tell them the software can check
every reading, math, and science box,

00:04:02.470 --> 00:04:06.678
but they're going to be responsible
for motor skills and self-help skills,

00:04:06.678 --> 00:04:10.342
and together we're going to work
on social emotional learning.

NOTE Paragraph

00:04:10.878 --> 00:04:12.631
Now, we know this is working

00:04:12.631 --> 00:04:15.833
because we have a 90 percent
completion rate for the program.

00:04:15.833 --> 00:04:20.571
Last year, that translated
into 13,500 children

00:04:20.571 --> 00:04:22.511
"graduating," with diplomas, from UPSTART.

00:04:22.511 --> 00:04:28.228
And the results have been amazing.

00:04:28.477 --> 00:04:31.699
We have an external evaluation
that shows our children

00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:36.480
have two to three times the learning gains

00:04:36.710 --> 00:04:40.141
as children who don't
participate in the program.

00:04:40.141 --> 00:04:44.274
We have a random control that shows
strong evidence of effectiveness,

00:04:44.274 --> 00:04:48.275
and we even have a longitudinal study
that shows our children's gains

00:04:48.275 --> 00:04:50.093
last into third and fourth grade,

00:04:50.093 --> 00:04:52.939
the highest grades the children
have achieved at the time.

00:04:53.477 --> 00:04:55.426
Those are academic gains.

00:04:55.426 --> 00:05:01.058
But another study has shown
that our children's social emotional gains

00:05:01.058 --> 00:05:04.605
are equal to those of children
attending public and private preschool.

NOTE Paragraph

00:05:04.815 --> 00:05:09.372
The majority of the 60,000 children
who have participated in UPSTART to date

00:05:09.372 --> 00:05:11.008
have been from Utah,

00:05:11.008 --> 00:05:13.087
but we have replicated our results

00:05:13.087 --> 00:05:15.977
with African-American
children in Mississippi --

00:05:15.977 --> 00:05:18.193
this is Kingston and his mother --

00:05:18.193 --> 00:05:21.245
with English language
learners in Arizona --

00:05:21.245 --> 00:05:23.406
this is Daisy and her family --

00:05:23.406 --> 00:05:28.581
with refugee children in Philadelphia --
this is my favorite graduation photo --

00:05:29.146 --> 00:05:34.125
and with Native American children

00:05:34.125 --> 00:05:35.701
from some of the most remote
parts of the United States.

00:05:35.701 --> 00:05:39.752
This is Cherise, and this is
where she lives in Monument Valley.

NOTE Paragraph

00:05:41.258 --> 00:05:44.267
Now, there are skeptics about UPSTART.

00:05:44.267 --> 00:05:48.362
Some people don't believe young children
should have screen time.

00:05:48.362 --> 00:05:52.661
To them we say, UPSTART's
usage requirement

00:05:52.661 --> 00:05:55.585
of 15 minutes a day, five days a week,

00:05:55.585 --> 00:05:59.602
is well within the hour-a-day recommended

00:05:59.602 --> 00:06:02.661
by the American Academy
of Pediatrics for four-year olds.

00:06:02.661 --> 00:06:07.006
Some people believe
only sight-based preschool can work,

00:06:07.006 --> 00:06:11.049
and to them we say,
sight-based preschool is great,

00:06:11.049 --> 00:06:14.224
but if you can't get a child there
or if a parent won't send a child there,

00:06:14.224 --> 00:06:21.622
isn't a technology-delivered
results-based option a great alternative?

00:06:22.216 --> 00:06:25.671
And we love working
with sight-based preschools.

00:06:25.671 --> 00:06:29.421
Right now, there are
800 children in Mississippi

00:06:29.421 --> 00:06:30.866
going to Head Start during the day

00:06:30.866 --> 00:06:33.933
and doing UPSTART at night
with their families.

NOTE Paragraph

00:06:35.601 --> 00:06:40.485
Our audacious idea is to take UPSTART
across the country,

00:06:40.485 --> 00:06:43.715
not to replace anything.

00:06:43.715 --> 00:06:48.997
We want to serve children who otherwise
would not have access to early education.

00:06:50.219 --> 00:06:52.846
We have the guts to take on the skeptics,

00:06:52.846 --> 00:06:54.691
we have the energy to do the work,

00:06:54.691 --> 00:06:56.834
and we have a plan.

00:06:56.834 --> 00:07:00.622
It is the role of the states
to educate their children,

00:07:00.622 --> 00:07:03.781
so first we will use philanthropy dollars

00:07:03.781 --> 00:07:07.698
to go into a state to pilot
the program and get data.

00:07:07.698 --> 00:07:10.340
Every state believes it's unique,

00:07:10.340 --> 00:07:14.387
and wants to know that the program
will work with its children

00:07:14.387 --> 00:07:15.582
before investing.

00:07:16.025 --> 00:07:20.987
Then we identify key leaders in the state
to help us champion UPSTART

00:07:20.987 --> 00:07:23.989
as an option for unserved children.

00:07:23.989 --> 00:07:27.375
And together, we go to state legislatures

00:07:27.375 --> 00:07:29.126
to transition UPSTART

00:07:29.126 --> 00:07:33.430
from philanthropy to sustainable
and scalable state funding.

NOTE Paragraph

00:07:33.711 --> 00:07:34.187
(Applause)

NOTE Paragraph

00:07:34.187 --> 00:07:38.327
Thanks.

00:07:41.027 --> 00:07:42.631
Thank you.

NOTE Paragraph

00:07:42.631 --> 00:07:46.492
That plan has worked
in three states to date:

00:07:46.492 --> 00:07:49.513
Utah, Indiana, and South Carolina.

00:07:49.513 --> 00:07:52.441
We've also piloted the program
in a number of states

00:07:52.441 --> 00:07:54.396
and identified champions.

00:07:54.396 --> 00:07:58.230
Next, we're moving to states
with the greatest geographic barriers

00:07:58.230 --> 00:07:59.694
to work the plan,

00:07:59.694 --> 00:08:03.154
and then on to states
that already have early education,

00:08:03.154 --> 00:08:06.092
but may not be getting
great academic results

00:08:06.092 --> 00:08:08.838
or great parent buy-in to participate.

00:08:08.838 --> 00:08:12.368
From there, we go to the states

00:08:12.368 --> 00:08:14.119
that are going to require the most data

00:08:14.119 --> 00:08:15.574
and work to convince

00:08:15.574 --> 00:08:18.998
and we'll hope our momentum
helps turn the tide there.

00:08:19.281 --> 00:08:22.688
We will serve a quarter of a million
children in five years,

00:08:22.688 --> 00:08:27.709
and we will ensure that states continue
to offer UPSTART to their children.

NOTE Paragraph

00:08:28.590 --> 00:08:30.757
Here's how you can help:

00:08:30.757 --> 00:08:32.311
for two thousand dollars,

00:08:32.311 --> 00:08:36.025
we can provide a child
with UPSTART, a computer, and internet,

00:08:36.025 --> 00:08:38.827
and that child will be part of the pilot


00:08:38.827 --> 00:08:42.328
that makes certain other children
get UPSTART in the future.

00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.909
We also need engaged citizens
to go to their government

00:08:45.909 --> 00:08:51.515
and say just how easy it can be
to get children ready for school.

00:08:51.731 --> 00:08:55.220
You wouldn't be here
if you weren't an engaged citizen,

00:08:55.220 --> 00:08:57.683
so we're asking for your help.

NOTE Paragraph

00:08:57.683 --> 00:09:04.279
Now, will all of us this make UPSTART
a watershed moment in early education?

00:09:04.654 --> 00:09:07.641
I believe together we can make it one,

00:09:07.641 --> 00:09:10.095
but I can tell you without a doubt

00:09:10.095 --> 00:09:13.290
that UPSTART is a watershed moment

00:09:13.290 --> 00:09:16.571
in the life of a child who otherwise
would not be ready school.

00:09:16.571 --> 00:09:18.094
Thank you.

00:09:18.094 --> 00:09:20.892
(Applause)