An annual survey by the National Institute for Early Education Research has traced state pre-K policy change in the United States since 2001. Such programs are only one part of a system that also includes a large federal program (Head Start) and a large private sector. The last decade was one of large changes in enrollment, policies relating to access and quality, and expenditures. Not all of these chances were positive, and it appears that the Great Recession had substantial negative impacts. Major trends in state pre-K include large enrollment growth at age 4, while enrollment at age 3 changed little, universal adoption of comprehensive early learning standards and, modestly, in program quality standards. On the downside, state expenditure per child fell by more than $1,000 adjusting for inflation over 10 years. Some disadvantaged groups who might benefit most from high quality state pre-K have the least access, such as English language learners and Hispanic children. State policies show extreme variation, and the range increased over the decade. Some states moved to universal enrollment while others still have no program. State funding per child varies by almost $10,000 per pupil from highest to lowest. Surveys such as this are an important tool for understanding how policy varies over time and geopolitical boundaries as well as examining equity in access to quality.

Word count Abstract: 244Manuscript total (without title page and abstract) = 7435Manuscript total (incl. title page and abstract) = 7825Accepted version (June 2014). For final version see: Barnett, S. and Townend, J., 2015. Plurality, Policy and the Local. Journalism Practice, 9(3), pp.332-349. 2 AbstractOver the last fifteen years, the acceleration in media consolidation has presented a series of policy challenges around diversity of editorial output. While policy debates on national ownership limits and other regulatory interventions are important, developments at the local level are often marginalised. And yet, the direction of traveltowards more consolidation and more deregulation -has arguably been more debilitating for democracy at local level, where the vast majority of citizens interact with hospitals, schools, transport systems and local councils. The decline of local media -including, in some towns, the wholesale disappearance of local newspapers -leaves citizens starved of information and local institutions less accountable.This article uses an existing conceptual framework for assessing whether and how journalism makes a real life contribution to democratic life at the local level (Barnett 2009). Against this normative framework, it then assesses the contribution of hyperlocal media sites to local democracy. We present findings from the most extensive survey of the hyperlocal sector to date, a collaboration with research partners at Cardiff and Birmingham City Universities and Talk About Local, which analysed online questionnaires from over 180 local online media initiatives. Our research offers a unique insight into the funding, operational problems and sustainability of community media sites and suggests they have the potential to fulfill a vital democratic and civic role. These data inform our conclusions and recommendations for policy initiatives that would invigorate hyperlocal sites and therefore provide a real alternative for otherwise democratically impoverished local communities.

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It is widely claimed that new technology offers great potential for expanding the horizons of political communication and overcoming some of the problems associated with traditional media in furthering the democratic process. New forms of communication, it is argued, will foster greater interest and participation in the political process which will in turn enhance and enrich democracy. However, although the inadequacies of traditional media pose serious problems for political discourse and democracy, the empirical and conceptual difficulties surrounding new media make their contribution to the political process equally problematic. While new media may offer some opportunities for elite groups at the margins, traditional mass media will continue to dominate the discourse and conduct of politics.