The top local stories this afternoon from KERA News:
A new study finds that full-day pre-K benefits poor students across Texas. The nonprofit group Children At Risk tracked nearly 47,000 economically disadvantaged students over five years in five urban school districts in Texas: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
Those who attended full-day public pre-K scored higher on the third grade STAAR reading test, compared to kids who only attended half-day pre-K or did not attend pre-K in public schools at all. The study also says students in full-day pre-K are better prepared for Kindergarten.
Across Texas, school districts and lawmakers are placing more emphasis on pre-K. Education experts say the benefits of early education show that the state should spend more on the program.
Other stories this afternoon:
- North Texas has produced great blues guitarists from Blind Lemon Jefferson to Stevie Ray Vaughan. But today, the blues is such a niche market. For this week’s Art & Seek Artist Spotlight, Jerome Weeks listened to Reverend KM Williams, a North Texas musician who keeps up the traditions of old-school Texas and Delta blues.
- The average American will spend more than $900 on holiday gifts this year. Today on Think, Krys Boyd talked with tech journalist David Pogue about some money saving tips for shoppers.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.
