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At the invitation of First Lady Laura Bush, State Superintendent of Education Glenn W. McGee is attending the White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development July 26 and 27.

The First Lady is hosting the summit as part of her Ready to Read, Ready to Learn Initiative.  The summit is co-chaired by U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige and U.S. Health and human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.  It is being held on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

The Summit brings together leaders, advocates and policymakers involved in Early Childhood Cognitive Development in order to share the latest research on the subject and to exchange ideas on successful early childhood programs.

“I am delighted and honored to be a part of the summit,” McGee said.  “The high priority placed on early learning by President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush closely matches that of the State Board of Education and Governor George Ryan.

“The success of our education system depends on the strong foundation we build in the early years,” McGee said.  Research clearly shows the benefit of quality early childhood programs and this summit should spur even greater efforts to strengthen early learning throughout the nation.

“I commend the President and First Lady for convening this summit to place a high-level focus on building early successes for students.”