Wilkerson, Morrison discuss migration and civil rights

The Riley Institute and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University hosted a fascinating discussion on equality and civil rights on Tuesday, the last of a four-part summer series there. Furman President Rod Smolla opened the evening with a great presentation on civil rights in contemporary America, seen through the lens of recent Supreme Court rulings and arguments on affirmative action. But the second half of the evening, moderated by former SCETV host Mark Quinn, made for compelling listening.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson and Columbia attorney Steve Morrison shared thoughts on the meanings of freedom and civil rights through their own works; Wilkerson is the author of "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration," and Morrison was co-lead counsel in Abbeville v State of South Carolina, a school-funding equity case that has become epic in its own right.

Rather than read a summary of their presentations, click through the videos to watch them for yourself.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7

Santorum: Early childhood education is "fascism"

I did not know much about Rick Santorum before I Googled his name, but now I know too much about Santorum -- more than I wanted to know.

I Googled his name because he used a visit to South Carolina in May to make disparaging remarks about early childhood education.

Rick Santorum, a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, even raised the specter of Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italy in a speech here Friday night while explaining why his grandfather emigrated to the U.S. His uncle, he said, "used to get up in a brown shirt and march and be told how to be a good little fascist."

"I don't know, maybe they called it early pre-K or something like that, that the government sponsored to get your children in there so they can indoctrinate them," Santorum said.

A couple of weeks ago, Santorum made similar comments about early childhood education -- and the people who teach pre-kindergarten -- in Iowa.

Rick Santorum fired a verbal salvo at early-education programs on Tuesday, telling an Iowa crowd that government pre-school programs are part of a hideous plot by the government to indoctrinate children.

"It is a parent's responsibility to educate their children. It is not the government's job. We have sort of lost focus here a little bit," said Santorum, the Des Moines Register reports.

"Of course, the government wants their hands on your children as fast as they can. That is why I opposed all these early starts and pre-early starts, and early-early starts. They want your children from the womb so they can indoctrinate your children as to what they want them to be. I am against that."

In the article about that appearance in Iowa, it says that Santorum and his wife "have home-schooled their seven children through the eighth grade." Home-schooling one's child or children is a right and valuable option for parents who want that option. The item said that the Santorums opted to home-school their children "in order to shield his own family from indoctrination."

Personal note: The Santorums may want to shield their children from Googling their family name, too. Word to the wise.

Santorum also has announced his theory to explain why American students perform poorly on tests of U.S. history.

This time Santorum is arguing that the reason so few U.S. students perform well in U.S. history is because of “a conscious effort on the part of the left who has a huge influence on our curriculum, to desensitize America to what American values are so they’re more pliable to the new values that they would like to impose on America.”

Police chief supports full funding for early childhood education

Picture this: The police chief of one of the state's major cities authors an opinion-editorial in favor of full funding for early childhood education, citing research that demonstrates the positive impact of early intervention on young children's behavior.

Is this the police chief of Columbia, you ask? Charleston? Greenville? Maybe Florence? Or Rock Hill?

No, it's Chief Tom Bergamine of Fayetteville, North Carolina, writing in the Fayetteville Observer last week.

As a police chief, I'd like to add that law enforcement leaders strongly support high-quality early education programs as a way to help fight crime.

Setting children on the right path early in life is far less expensive and much more effective than dealing with individuals who turn to crime as adults. Many offenders could have led much more productive lives if they completed their basic education; consider that almost 70 percent of state prison inmates don't have a high school diploma. Providing at-risk children with high-quality early education can help increase graduation rates and also reduce crime.

From a 2009 combined report on North Carolina and South Carolina: Studies on Smart Start have demonstrated its positive impact on young children's behavior. Low-income children who were not enrolled in early childhood education centers with North Carolina's Smart Start quality improvement assistance demonstrated significantly more behavioral problems than children who were enrolled.

Specifically, children not enrolled in Smart Start programs were twice as likely to have behavior problems such as aggressive acts and poor temper control, anxiety and hyperactivity in kindergarten. Research shows that 60 percent of children with high levels of disruptive, aggressive behaviors in early childhood will manifest high levels of antisocial and delinquent behavior later in life. Smart Start has been able to significantly increase the quality of the care being provided by licensed child care providers.

North Carolina has become a leader in providing children with access to early childhood programs, but now there are proposals to eliminate our two top early education programs, Smart Start and More at Four. I hope that state lawmakers make the right choice by protecting these initiatives and supporting efforts to strengthen them. Educating the youngest children is a priority for ensuring our public safety for years to come.