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How will "universal preschool" improve academic achievement in any such way? Ask any teacher, principal or school administrator, and they will suggest a myriad of reasons why children are failing in schools - lack of teacher training, lack of funding, lack of parental support, lack of effective curricula, lack of pay for teachers which drives the smart, competent teachers away in search of other careers. None of these problems will be solved with a "universal preschool." Rather, it only creates more problems and overburdens a public education system already taxed to the limit.

Many schools lack proper funding in order to facilitate all their children. Overcrowded classrooms and overworked teachers stretch the system to a breaking point. Many classrooms hold thirty or more children, all at different levels and speeds for learning. The teacher has very limited time in teaching these children during the day, not to mention wondering all the while if he or she will be able to pay the bills this month. A "universal preschool" only diverts precious funds from already empty budgets to teach three or four year olds their colors and shapes - things parents usually already teach their children for free anyway. A "universal preschool" will only cause the crumbling education system to deteriorate further.

Also, the current trend for parents is to leave the teaching and discipline to schools and their unlucky teachers. Teaching and disciplining has often been the parents' role for centuries, but recently the burden has been placed on the education system to take the place of parents. Parental participation in their children's education is at an all time low, which affects a student's ability to learn. A high emphasis on education in the family culture, along with regular parental support can help even the most struggling student to succeed in the educational system. But on the flip side, even the brightest student can't usually get far without that same scaffolding. Sending children at such an early age away from their parents will lessen parental contact and family cohesion usually developed at an early age, and the parental support system will not be as effective, especially if parents start to think that at the age of three, they receive a free, tax-paid babysitter - the United States public education system.

A "universal preschool" is a poorly conceived plan for improving the educational system, but a genius plan for politicians. For a would-be presidential hopeful, it's much easier to make promises and throw tax money at a doomed program in the name of education instead of working on a much harder task - changing the American culture and attitude towards education, persuading parents to take the time to support their children and sacrificing pet projects to help fund failing schools and pay teachers higher wages. Then, when the program fails to produce results, politicians will blame the parents and teachers anyway. In the end, they still appear as if they care about education. But unfortunately, that sadly seems rarely to be the case.

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