An Argument for Preschool
The states are spending more and more money to educate children before they start kindergarten. But one expert warns that not all programs are created equal.
In the 1970 and '80s, the notion that three- and four-year-olds should be taught in classrooms was a provocative idea. Today 40 states spend about $4.8 billion a year providing schooling for preschoolers. Although a bill to create universal preschool in California recently faltered, state legislators across the country are finding that preschool—which has been associated with higher rates of high-school graduation and, later in life, employment—is a good investment. Last month, as Sen. Ted Kennedy looked on, President Bush signed a bill into law that expanded Head Start, which provides early education for poor children. In his book "The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics" (Harvard University Press), author David Kirp, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, explains the importance of keeping educational quality high for our littlest learners. Kirp spoke with NEWSWEEK's Peg Tyre. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: What is driving the expansion of state-funded preschools across the country?
David Kirp: What's driving it is the good long-term research that shows that if a child goes to preschool they will have a higher income, are less likely to be involved in crime, more likely to graduate from college and have happier lives. There is also brain science that has shown the incredible importance of brain development in the earliest years.
Why did you write this book?
I was walking on the beach with a friend who is pediatrician who was telling me about this incredible data on the lifelong benefits of high-quality preschool—and how the pre-K movement was spreading across the country. And at the same time my sister-in-law was trying to find a preschool—a good one—for her child. And what I realized is, though pre-K is becoming more common, there's a gap between the research, which is clear about the benefits of high-quality preschool, and the kind of programs that are actually available to people.
You argue in your book that this very gap could hurt the pre-K movement. How?
The danger is that politicians will do it on the cheap. Last year 29 governors mentioned preschool in their state of the state addresses. But it's easier to claim credit for getting more kids into preschool than it is to claim credit for better preschools. There has to be a continued push on the part of parents to make quality, not just quantity, part of the issue.
But what does quality preschool look like?
It's a good question, because parents don't often know. What you don't want is pre-K, using the term loosely, being provided by a neighbor down the street who has three-syllable words posted but spelled wrong and puts the eight kids she's in charge of in front of the television. A quality preschool class is lead by a well-educated, well-trained, responsive teacher. There should be small classes and developmentally appropriate activities built around a child's cognitive, social, physical and emotional development.
OK. But what should parents be looking for when they tour a pre-K class?
Many parents think they want a classroom that is orderly, with kids learning their letters and numbers by the time they are three. But that is education in the narrowest sense. Quality pre-K has more to do with structured play and is less about skills and drills. There should be more noise, more play, more controlled and creative chaos.
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Member Comments
Posted By: Tired_Of_Your_BS @ 04/16/2008 11:52:01 AM
Comment: I will work as many jobs as I have to just to keep my kids out of public school. I didn't have children to lose them to the influences of those raised by parents who don't care.
Posted By: violetmommy @ 04/11/2008 1:13:21 PM
Comment: I am a credentialed teacher who has made the decision not to homeschool my children. Do I think I can teach them the proper academics? Of course. Do I think they may academically learn more at home than in a classroom? Perhaps. But they will not learn how to get along with others...work in a group...listen to others besides me...stand up for themselves...be a self starter...the list goes on.
I am not saying those who home school are making a bad choice. I just think children learn differnet things other than academics in school. AM I goign to work with my children at home? Absolutely. Will they learn a good portion of their academics from me? Yes. But they will get something from going to school as well. Accontability...socializing with others...problem solving...teamwork...those are skills I cannot repolicate in my living room.
Posted By: edmuneca @ 03/16/2008 5:40:11 PM
Comment: I worked in the public school system for more than 8 years as an assistant teacher. I also worked in Head Start for 3 years before that. ( I am a trained para-professional) I have decided to homeschool my daughter as a result of those experiences. Why? Because a classroom the size of my small living room packed with twenty children does not lend for the richest learning environment. Some children will thrive, others will be bored out of their minds and still others will simply fall further behind. Individual attention which is what every single child needs is impossible. Believe me, I tried. Public School gets worse. Thirty children in a classroom, if your are lucky a teacher that is creative who has not burned out or left in utter fustration because of lack of resources, lack of a living wage, ridiculous timelines, or threats from administrators because of NCLB or parents who have chosen not to actually raise their children and refuse to discipline them. The poor teacher also has to deal with difficult behaviors of children who are frustrated with the school system, already academically behind and act out because of it, taking time away from the ones who are academically advanced, teaching boys who learn differently in an environment that is friendlier to girls, (I am female by the way) all the while having no relief during the day since music, art, and gym have been removed to make more room for teaching to the test. I want my daughter to enjoy learning. As an assistant at times I was bored to tears and hated the way the school system forced us to teach. I cannot imagine going through twelve years of that as a student. As for the Distar program, when done with a caring loving adult one on one, it works. I started it with my daughter and she looks forward to her lessons. I have seen great progress already. Why should my daughter learn to sit at a table and not talk and just listen quietly never expressing her opinion or ideas and be passive about her learning? The real world is not that way! For you to grow you must interact, voice your opinion, express your ideas. Yes, your take turns. But where in the work environment do you work solely along side of others who are within a year of your age, and think just like you? In my daughter's homeschooling group we learn alongside children of different ages. She gets to learn from the people who care for her more than anything else in this world, her parents. She gets to learn sitting outside on the grass on sunny days, or maybe on the porch on a rainy day. She gets to sit on my lap when she learns if she likes and she enjoys learning this way. If she needs a break, she can take it, right away. I would not trade that for her for the world. Some children need pre-school because it would be the only way they would learn, but for us parents who can nothing beats homeschooling.