Data Tapes Available for the NHES:91 Early Childhood Education and Adult Education Data Files

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) announces the availability of data tapes and users manuals for the 1991 National Household Education Survey (NHES), the Early Childhood Education (ECE) component and the Adult Education (AE) component.  NHES:91 was a random-digit-dial telephone survey developed by NCES.  The sample for the NHES is drawn from the noninstitutionalized civilian population in households with a telephone in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The survey was conducted between late January and early May of 1991.

NHES:91 collected data on 3- to 8-year-old children’s experiences in a wide range of settings, including their homes, childcare arrangements, early education programs, and schools. A survey of participation in adult education among person 16 years of age and older was conducted simultaneously.  Data were collected on the level and characteristics of adult education participation. The files for these two general components of NHES:91 are described below.

Preprimary and Primary Files.  Data from the Early Childhood Education component are divided into two separate data files–the Preprimary File and the Primary File.  The Preprimary File contains responses from completed interviews with the parents of 7,655 children who have not yet enrolled in kindergarten.  The Primary File contains responses from completed interviews with the parents of 6,237 children enrolled in grades 1 and above. Users will be able to merge the Preprimary File with the Primary
File for the purposes of conducting analyses involving all 13,892 children.

Adult and Course Files.  During NHES:91, a sample of adults were questioned about their educational activities over the previous 12-month period.  Data from the Adult Education component are divided into two separate files–the Adult File and the Course File. The Adult File contains responses from each completed AE interview.  There is one record for each completed AE interview; thus, there are 12,568 records in this file.  The Course File contains a record for each part-time course reported by participants in the AE interview (up to four course were allowed).  The file is intended for analyses in which the course, rather than the individual, is the unit of analysis (aggregated course information is also included in the Adult File as part of the record of each adult).  The Adult and Course Files can be merged using a common identifier.

Ordering Information.  The NHES:91 files are available as magnetic tapes.  The ECE Component Files and the AE Component Files are sold separately.  In addition to the raw data files, each tape has SAS system files and SPSSX  and SAS control cards for converting the raw data to SPSSX and SAS formats.  These tapes can be purchased for $175 each, or $250 for both.

 

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Administration Seeks Funds to Improve Early Reading

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Washington, DC — Vice President Gore announced today that the Administration will seek an additional $128 million in the FY2000 budget to help children learn to read well.

     This proposal, including an increase of $26 million for the Reading Excellence Act and $50 million for a new initiative to identify and address reading problems in young children, will help schools and communities respond to the President’s challenge that every child should be able to read well and independently by the end of the third grade.

     ”In an economy increasingly powered by information and technology, reading and the ability to learn are strategic skills,” Vice President Gore said.  ”We must help all of our children master the basics and learn to read well in order to help them succeed in the 21st century.”

     According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 60 percent of 4th graders read at the basic level or higher.  Research shows that students who fail to read well by the 4th grade are at greater risk of educational failure and that good reading skills provide an important foundation for subsequent learning and success. In order to address this need, the Clinton Administration launched the “America Reads” challenge and worked with Congress to pass the Reading Excellence Act last year to help more than 500,000 children in pre-kindergarten through third grade learn to read through expanded teacher training, family literacy programs, tutoring and other efforts.

     To expand on these efforts, the Vice President announced today that the Administration will propose:

     A $26 million increase in the Reading Excellence Act to help an additional 50,000 children learn to read through expanded teacher training, family literacy programs, tutoring, and other efforts.

     An increase of $10 million for the Even Start Family Literacy Program to support family-centered education projects helping parents learn literacy and parenting skills while supporting early childhood education for young children.

     $50 million for a new school-based primary education intervention program to identify and address reading problems for children aged 5-9.  While research demonstrates the effectiveness of early interventions to address reading problems and learning disabilities, 60% of children eventually placed in special education are identified too late to receive the full benefit from such interventions.  This initiative will help schools develop and implement research-based strategies to identify and address reading problems in the early grades to reach children earlier and give them the extra help they need to become good readers.

     A $7 million increase for initiatives to improve writing and reading skills, including an expansion of the National Writing Project and the creation of a new competitive grant program to develop and evaluate models of effective writing instruction. Improved writing skills provide an essential foundation for literacy and reading, and this proposal would double the level of funding for these initiatives.

     $35 million for new research on early childhood and early elementary reading, professional development for reading instruction, English language acquisition for limited English proficient children, and improvements in literacy for older children.

     Moreover, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have recently announced other major increased investments to help students learn to read and do well academically.  They recently announced a proposed increase of $400 million for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to provide after-school and summer school programs for more than a million students around the nation.  In awarding these funds, the Education Department will give priority to school districts that end social promotion by requiring that students meet academic standards in order to move to the next grade — but use these funds to give students extra help after-school and in the summer to help them succeed.

     The Vice President also recently announced a $320 million proposed increase for Title I — the largest federal elementary and secondary education program — to help disadvantaged students master the basics like reading and reach high academic standards.  $200 million of this increase would be used by states to identify and intervene in low-performing schools.

 

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THE EDUCATION SHELF

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Drawing on the experiences of an award-winning model preschool program, Early Childhood Education: Blending Theory, Blending Practice is a groundbreaking volume offering strategies for curriculum development that will enhance children’s participation through implementing developmentally and individually appropriate practices. It provides educators, professionals, and parents with a solid foundation of early childhood education basics like play, learning theories, and environmental factors. Specific chapters delve into practical issues such as group structures and formal/informal assessment and intervention techniques. Helpful features include chapter previews and summaries, vignettes, discussion questions, and student activities. Early Childhood Education is ideal for curriculums for early childhood education students, service providers, teacher-trainers, and an invaluable guide for parents to the future of early childhood practices.

Academic research needs to be carefully planned if it is to reach conclusion and gain the recognition it deserves. A Practical Guide To Academic Research shows how to plan, fund, research, analyze and publish the results of a research project, and in the process, illustrates how to manage a research project successfully, detailing the wide array of research techniques available (both qualitative and quantitative). A Practical Guide To Academic Research provides invaluable information on obtaining funding and access to conduct research, research methodologies, using literature sources, researching within organizations, and getting published. A Practical Guide to Academic Research is a practical book, ideal for all research students and academic staff, especially those researching in the fields of education and the social sciences. Highly recommended.

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Research Requested on Importance of Fathers in Early Childhood

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“Research on flexibility and children’s well-being has shown that better levels of flexibility exist when there are two parents present. Better flexibility is linked to lower levels of destructive parent-child interaction, the absence of a juvenile offender in the home, lower reports of sexually abusive behavior, decreased levels of psychopathology, and less chemical dependence.”  _Chapter Four: Social Fatherhood and Paternal Involvement: Conceptual, Data, and Policymaking Issues.  In NURTURING
FATHERHOOD: IMPROVING DATA AND RESEARCH ON MALE FERTILITY, FAMILY FORMATION AND FATHERHOOD.   Report of the Working Group on Conceptualizing Male Parenting. Randal D. Day, Ph.D. (Co-chair). V. Jeffery Evans, Ph., D., LLD (Co-chair). Michael Lamb, Ph.D. (Co-chair). June, 1998.

“Extensive research has been conducted on the effects of divorce for children’s well-being (Kelly, 1993; Furstenberg and Cherlin, 1991; Wallerstein, 1991; Chase-Lansdale and Hetherington, 1990; Hetherington, 1981, 1979) and the problems experienced by children growing up in single-parent families (McLanahan and Sandefur, 1994). Such research has found that children are better off financially, psychologically, and emotionally when they are raised by two parents.”  NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS: Statistical Analysis Report: Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools.  October 1997.

“A large body of social science research indicates that any child growing up without a responsible, involved father is more likely to encounter difficulties than a child growing up in a two-parent family. Fatherless children in poverty face even greater risks. During this first year, therefore, the Commission chose to devote most of its attention to the issues of low-income, often unwed, fathers whose families are under the greatest economic pressure and at the highest risk.”  The Massachusett’s Governor’s Advisory Commission on Responsible Fatherhood and Family Support. August 1998.

The Effects of Fatherfullness

According to a Gallup Poll, 90.3 percent of Americans agree that “fathers make a unique contribution to their children’s lives.” –Source: Gallup Poll, 1996. National Center for Fathering. “Father Figures.” Today’s Father 4.1 (1996):8. Source: The National Commission on Children. “Speaking of Kids: A National Survey of Children and Parents.” Washington, DC, 1991. A study on parent-infant attachment found that fathers who were affectionate, spent time with their children, and overall had a positive attitude were more likely to have securely attached infants. –Source: Cox, M.J. et al. “Prediction of Infant-Father and Infant- Mother Attachment.” Developmental Psychology 28 (1992): 474-483.

A study assessing the level of adaptation of one-year olds found that, when left with a stranger, children whose fathers were highly involved were less likely to cry, worry, or disrupt play than other one-year olds whose fathers were less involved. –Source: Kotelchuk, M. “The Infant’s Relationship to His Father: Experimental Evidence.” The Role of the Father in Child Development. by Michael Lamb. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 1981. Father-child interaction has been shown to promote a child’s physical well-being, perceptual abilities, and competency for relatedness with others, even at a young age. –Source: Krampe, E.M. and P.D. Fair-weather. “Father Presence and Family Formation: A theoretical Reformulation.” Journal of Family Issues 14.4 (December 1993): 572-591.

A survey of over 20,000 parents found that when fathers are involved in their children’s education including attending school meetings and volunteering at school, children were more likely to get A’s, enjoy school, and participate in extracurricular activities and less likely to have repeated a grade. –Source: Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Washington DC: GPO, 1997. Using nationally representative data on over 2,600 adults born in the inner city, it was found that children who lived with both parents were more likely to have finished high school, be economically self- sufficient, and to have a healthier life style than their peers who grew up in a broken home. –Source: Hardy, Janet B. et al. “Self Sufficiency at Ages 27 to 33 Years: Factors Present between Birth and 18 Years that Predict Educational Attainment Among children Born to Inner-city families.”Pediatrics 99 (1997): 80-87.

In a 26 year longitudinal study on 379 individuals, researchers found that the single most important childhood factor in developing empathy is paternal involvement. Fathers who spent time alone with their kids performing routine childcare at least two times a week, raised children who were the most compassionate adults. –Source: Koestner, Richard, Carol Franz, and Joel Weinberger. “The Family Origins of Empathic Concern: A Twenty-Six Year Longitudinal study.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 58 (1990): 709-717.

 

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The Cuban Education System

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Cuban education system: lessons and dilemmas  
Document Type: LAC Human & Social Development Group Paper Series

The Cuban educational system has long enjoyed a reputation for high quality. This paper highlights ways in which the Cuban educational system, despite the dismal economic picture of the past decade, adopted features that research has identified as characterizing a high-quality education system. The papers sees what has allowed Cuba ‘ s education system to perform so well is the continuity its education strategies, sustained high levels of investments in education, and a comprehensive and carefully structured system, characterized by: 1) quality basic education and universal access to primary and secondary school; 2) comprehensive early childhood education and student health programs; 3) complementary educational programs for those outside school; 4) mechanisms to foster community participation in school management; 5) great attention to teachers; 6) low-cost instructional materials of high quality; 7) teacher and student initiative in adapting the national curriculum locally; 8) carefully structured competition; 9) explicit strategies to reach rural students; 10) strategies to link school and work; and 11) an emphasis on education for social cohesion and values education.

 

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Past Experiences

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Another aspect is also how the individual responds to whatever environment they find themself. I would conjecture that what results in later development problems for one child doesn’t necessarily imply another child will have the same or any difficulties. Of course one can list extreme conditions, and perhaps no one would argue about such extreme conditions.

KW replies: most of the resilience studies done here in Hawaii have shown that as long as the child has had at least one positive/loving person in their life ( coach, scout leader, clergy, next  door neighbor etc) the ability to express a strength to seemingly overcome trauma or impoverished early life, not free of symptoms, but able to be a “good person” is greatly inhanced.KW John Price wrote: I also wonder about the preception of ‘abuse’ as seen by ‘modern’ standards. What we would call ‘abuse’ these days, was often either taken as proper conduction of parents, or even if not done, was seen as parental failure. I’m mystified as to how the entire human race could survive long enough to come to the conclusion that its entire parenting history has been one of abuse. So, I’ll claim that most, essentially all, a predominant portion of the population has the resilience require to ‘survive’ a broad range of ‘abuse’ however that’s defined. KW replies: I agree with you here John; there is a lot to say about social judgements on behavior of others as shapeing the knife of what is moral and correct in our society. I also think that it is the interactions between us that will write the narratives of future moralities, beliefs, expectations etc. It has been shown in many of the postmodern therapies that how we experience ourselves and think about ourselves is a social construction. As one of my teachers used to say; ” get 10 people to investigate for you. Tell 5 of them to investigate how dangerous the world is and tell 5 to investigate how safe the world is. Five will return with information of how dangerous the world is, and five will return with information of how safe the world is; it is up to you to choose because both groups are correct; so what are you going to choose; safe or dangerous; the choice is up to you of how you want to live your life; as the world being dangerous or safe?”KWNorm mentioned that he thinks trauma affects people even if they are not damaged by it.  I cannot see how this is different than other, non-traumatic experiences.  Everything that happens to us affects us in some way.

While the story below makes an important point, I find the metaphor problematic.  Someone who experiences difficulties and overcomes them is usually strengthened by that experience and gains a larger repertoire of techniques for coping with adversity.  A vase that is broken and mended will be less strong and more likely to break again along the fault lines.  If someone were holding themselves together superficially but fragile underneath, I can see them “breaking” under stress.  If someone did undergo long term therapy and managed to reorganize their personality, I think they would be stronger and better able to withstand pressures of life.

When I was working with parents of gifted children, I researched coping skills and stress because it was so frequently implicated in situations of suicide and substance abuse.  The research I’ve seen about stress says that children who are subjected to repeated stresses without support or to multiple concurrent stresses are more likely to have difficulty coping than children who have less stress.  However, children who encounter stress with support or manageable stress (not overwhelming to their resources) are able
to develop increasingly more effective coping skills and wind up more resilient.  The suggestion is that parents should not routinely protect their children from all stress but should permit them to experience negative emotions (with support) and handle difficulties themselves as much as possible while being careful to ensure they do not become overwhelmed.  I have seen some research that suggests that kids most prone to substance abuse are those who believe themselves unable to cope with normal stresses, who are intolerant of strong emotion in themselves, and who have poor coping skills.

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New early childhood education centres of innovation

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Education Minister Trevor Mallard announced today a new early childhood education initiative that will create six Centres of Innovation, which will be used to build a strong research base to inform and develop models of best teaching practice. “Investing in quality early childhood education is crucial to children’s learning and their opportunities in later life,” Trevor Mallard said.

“The good teaching and learning practices these centres are currently using will be further developed in collaboration with researchers and that information will then be available to other services.”The initiative will provide $2.102 million over three years to support the six centres. After that, another six centres will be chosen to undertake research and development for a further three years.

“This investment is part of the Government’s commitment to increasing participation, improving quality and promoting collaborative relationships in early childhood education. This is particularly important for Maori and Pacific children who currently participate less than others.”

The six Centres of Innovation are:  A’oga Fa’asamoa, Auckland – provides quality Pasifika early childhood education Roskill South Kindergarten, Auckland – widespread and integrated use of information technology, with good levels of parent involvement. Te Kohanga Reo o Puau Te Moananui a Kiwa, Auckland – showcases Maorilanguage based learning Wycliffe Nga Tamariki Kindergarten, Napier – good collaboration with Maori and Samoan communities, and good parent involvement through use of information technology Wilton Playcentre, Wellington – displays a strong commitment to education and involvement of parents, and the innovative use of schema learning theory New Beginnings Preschool, Christchurch – innovative use of Reggio Emilia approach and commitment to development “The proposals we received showed a very vibrant early childhood education sector.  The Centres of Innovation initiative aims to capitalise on the experience of those most likely to provide innovative ideas, the people working in ECE services,” Trevor Mallard said.

The first allocation of funding includes $170,000 of capital funding to support the participating services.  Further operational funding will be the focus of contract negotiation in the near future.

 

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HIKOI OF HOPE: Backgrounder No.5: Education

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Hikoi of Hope has identified that accessing high quality, affordable education is proving difficult for many New Zealanders. Education is more important than ever. It’s hard to get a job without a qualification, increasingly a tertiary education is needed. But children from poor families attending schools in poor communities aren’t doing as well at school as children from well-off families.

Income affects achievement

Children’s abilities and talents are randomly distributed among the New Zealand population but children from poor homes don’t do as well as others in terms of their educational performance. This year the Competent Children project found that it’s the level of family income that accounts for some differences in children’s performance.

Researcher Cathy Wylie says in her report on the project, “Children from low income homes will not approach life on a level playing field”. Low family income has enduring effects for children’s competencies – children from these families perform less well in subjects including mathematics, literacy and problem-solving.

Early childhood education

The most recent research on educational achievement shows that early childhood education makes a positive difference to learning. Children demonstrate more competency at primary school if they’ve started early childhood education before the age of three and if they’ve been taught by well-trained, reasonably-paid staff.

A briefing paper to Government states that early childhood services are seriously underfunded affecting the quality of the service that can be offered. Underfunding has a more severe impact on low-income families who are less able to pay. Children from low-income families are less likely to get early childhood education. A 1994 survey showed that only 57% of low-income families (earning less than $25,000 a year) were participating in early childhood education compared with 80% of those earning more than $50,000.

Funding for schools

Government funding for education does not meet school costs. By 1996, 12% of school spending had to be met by school fundraising and voluntary donations. A 1996 report to the United Nations stressed that students with wealthy parents experienced in decision-making are assured of access to better facilities, while students from poorer areas get the bare essentials. Schools serving poor children can raise much less money than others. The result is a growing gap between money available to schools in poorer communities and other schools. All children, regardless of ability or family income, need access to good educational experiences to ensure success in their education. To achieve this we need well qualified and experienced teachers and appropriate class sizes.

Adult Literacy

A Ministry of Education survey on adult literacy found a “high concentration of adults with poor literacy skills (around 1 in 5 New Zealanders). Three quarters of all unemployed were found to be in the two lowest literacy levels.” Poorer literacy was also found to be high among Maori and Pacific Island New Zealanders. These results come from a survey based on a random sample of 4223 New
Zealanders aged between 16 and 65.

Maori Education

Maori achievement and participation in education is improving. But compared to non-Maori, Maori are:
* less likely to participate in all levels of education
* less likely to remain to senior levels of secondary school. (Close to 40% of all Maori children leave school without a qualification.)
* less likely to go to university. (If they enrol for tertiary training it’s more likely to be second chance programmes.)

Schools that foster the learning of Maori language have a high retention rate for Maori students and a reduction in cases of truancy and suspension. An NZ Educational Institute briefing paper states that Maori education is under-resourced, affecting the achievement of Maori children. The paper also highlights the serious shortage of trained Maori speaking teachers.

Who takes up tertiary study?

* One in three students goes on to university from the wealthiest 20% of secondary schools, compared to
* One in sixteen from the poorest 20% of schools. Students from poorer school districts are more likely to go to a polytechnic than a university. School-leavers from private schools are the most likely to attend university.

Student Loans

* Four out of five tertiary students now use the loans scheme first introduced in 1992.
* Over $2.6 million [sic] was owed by about 250,000 borrowers at 31 March this year.
* This is forecast to reach $3 billion [sic] by the end of the year and $4 billion by the year 2000.
* Interest starts accruing immediately even while a student is studying.

The cost of tertiary education is going to keep thousands of New Zealanders in debt throughout their working lives. Even if the income is insufficient to require repayment, the interest – and so the debt – continues to accumulate.

Because of differences in income between men and women:
* 50% of women will still be repaying their loans by the age of 40 and
* 10% will still be repaying at age 64

Up to 35% of Maori women graduates will still be paying off their loans at 64.

A smart society

With the strong emphasis on the need for a high skilled workforce we must face the reality of our dismal lack of qualifications. The 1996 census indicates 895,209 New Zealanders (33.9%) aged 15 and over have no qualifications. This means as well as the educational needs cited above, many young people and workers will need to train and retrain on-the-job. Making that training affordable, accessible and relevant will offer them a way out of unemployment. Education and training are the keys to our children’s future. If we’re serious about becoming a “smart” society we cannot afford to let our children miss out on educational and training opportunities. But a good education shouldn’t depend on how much money parents can afford to spend on their children.

Sources:

Six Years Old & Competent, Cathy Wylie with Anne Else, NZ Council for Educational Research (1998); Think Education, a briefing paper for NZ Members of Parliament, NZEI Te Rui Roa; An Education, Training and Employment Policy for Young People, Interim Report of the Prime Ministerial task Force on Employment (October 1995); Self Managing Schools Seven Years On – What Have We Learnt? Wylie C, NZ Council for Educational Research (1997); Non Governmental Organisations Report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (1996); Adult Literacy in New Zealand: Results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, Ministry of Education; Progress Towards Closing Social and Economic Gaps Between Maori and Non-Maori: A report to the Minister of Maori Affairs, Te Puni Kokiri Ministry of Maori Development (1998); Maori Workload, Te Huarahi (PPTA) and Te Reo Areare NZEI Te Rui Riad (October 1997); The Myth of Equal Opportunity: Wealth of School-District as a Determinant of Tertiary Participation, APSU/NZUSA (1998); Ministry of Education, replies to Select Committee questions (1 May 1998).

 

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Education: Against computers in schools (San Jose Mercury News)

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A national group of educators, doctors and children’s advocates flung itself in the path of the technology-in-schools bandwagon Tuesday, saying that billions spent on equipping and wiring classrooms is fueled more by parent fears and corporate sales pitches than any real evidence of computers helping children learn. Instead, computers pose hazards to young children such as eyestrain and obesity, while robbing them of the creativity, human relationships and hands-on learning key to their development, according to the report, “Fools Gold: A Critical Look at Computers in Childhood.”

Written by the Alliance for Childhood and supported by more than 80 educators and child-development experts — including professors at Stanford and the University of California-Berkeley plus primate researcher Jane Goodall — the report calls for an immediate moratorium on adding computers to classrooms so the presumed benefits and hazards can be studied in depth. “To speak against computers is considered blasphemous, not only in Silicon Valley but around the country,” said Lowell Monke, an alliance founding member and assistant professor of education at Wittenberg University in Ohio. “It’s time for a few heretics to stand up and say we need to look at this more closely. We can’t just sit on this bandwagon charging down the road with our public funds and our children.”

The report cites existing research that shows computers have little effect on academic achievement and studies of early childhood development. It received mixed reviews locally, in the heart of the technology movement. Larry Carr of the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group said fostering creativity and computer skills in children are not mutually exclusive. “We do need to produce very well-rounded students who know how to problem-solve, think critically and work in teams,” said Carr, director of education and workforce preparedness. “Technology can be another tool in teaching all those skills. “While the benefits of computers may not have scientific support, University of California-Berkeley psychologist Alison Gopnik, author of “The Scientist in the Crib,” said neither do the claims of the alliance. Still, she said, “Playing with building blocks is more profound intellectually than anything a child could do in front of a computer.” Nevertheless, the report thumbs its nose at technology as the holy grail for public education, a widespread belief that drove President Clinton to hook up classroom computer lines on the first Netday in 1996 and Gov. Gray Davis to call for a dramatic tripling of the state money spent on technology in schools.

In other circles, California is often chided for having just one computer for every 14 students statewide, compared with the national average of one computer per nine students. A recent report card by kids in Common, a local child-advocacy group, gave Santa Clara County a D in providing children access to technology. “You may be doing less damage,” Monke quipped of California’s lag in exposing kids to computers. “We have to stop looking at this issue in terms of quantities of computers in schools. We have to realize education has to be developed around sound principles, and draw technology in where it’s appropriate.”

According to the report, money is being bled from already minimal course offerings to pay for expensive, “unproven technology.” Some of that money could address more pressing issues that affect learning in low-income communities, such as quality child care, preschool, nutrition and lead poisoning. “Nearly 1 million children live in lead-poisoned housing whose health and educational opportunities are being jeopardized, and we know how to remove that problem,” said Edward Miller, co-author of the report
and former editor of the Harvard Education Letter. “It just takes the political will to solve them.”

The report also charges the politics surrounding the “high-tech-for-tots agenda” is heavily weighted with the viewpoint of high-tech executives, who stand to gain from the sales of their products in schools. “Wiring and computerizing America’s schools is an urgent priority — not for children, but for high-tech companies that need to constantly expand their markets,” the report states. Sun Microsystems Vice President Kim Jones denies that profit is the sole motivation for corporate involvement in schools. She said her company made no money by organizing Netday, a volunteer effort in 1996 to wire 12,000 California schools to the Internet. But she says rather than eliminating technology, the industry needs to make it simpler to use.

“I agree 100 percent that technology has not been very effective in the classroom,” said Jones, who oversees global education and research. “I would tend to agree with them that probably studies should be done.” Miller said corporations aren’t the only force driving the frenzy. “It’s fear on the part of parents who themselves feel threatened and uncomfortable with technology,” he said. “They want their children to succeed in school and in life. They see people making huge amounts of money in technology and think…the earlier the better for their children. But that’s what’s fallacious.”

Real-world learning

The report recommends that elementary education return its focus to hands-on, real-world learning and that older students learn not only how to use a computer, but how it works and the ethical and social implications of technology. It also calls for the U.S. surgeon general to do a full report on the physical, emotional and developmental hazards computers pose to children. “It will not stop the tidal wave of technology,” said Larry Cuban, a Stanford professor and former president of the American Educational
Research Association. “It will get more people talking about it when there has been virtual silence among policymakers about the uses and consequences of technology in schools.”

 

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Compulsory Attendance starting at 3 years old

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

D.C. Council member Kevin P. Chavous (D-Ward 7) plans to introduce a bill today that would lower from 5 to 3 the age at which schooling is compulsory, part of a push among school and elected officials to expand early childhood learning.

       If the legislation passed, the District would be the first jurisdiction in the country to mandate school attendance or home learning for all children at such a young age, according to the U.S. Department of Education. But although D.C. officials offered support yesterday for the concept behind Chavous’s bill, they said the hurdles in designing and funding a universal program for 3- and 4-year-olds would be significant.

The bill would require a child to be enrolled in a public, private or parochial school or in “private instruction” if the child turned 3 before Dec. 31 in that academic year. Chavous, chairman of the council’s education committee, said that home schooling by parents would qualify as private instruction. But it is unclear in the bill what guidelines stay-at-home parents would be required to follow and how they would document those efforts to the school system.

       Chavous said his proposal is consistent with national efforts to lengthen the school day and the academic year and with  research demonstrating the cognitive benefits of early childhood intervention. “It would force the school system to take charge and responsibility for every 3- and 4-year-old in the city to make sure they are prepared for kindergarten,” he said. The bill envisions a pilot program in fall 2003 and full access to public schooling by 2004. But the source of funding — estimated by the school system at up to $51.6 million in the first year of full access and $32 million a year after that — is unclear.

       Joan Logue-Kinder, communications director for Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), said the mayor agreed with the need for expanded early learning. But given limited resources, she said, “the primary purpose is to solidify our base and give the students we presently have the best possible education.”  School officials estimated they would need to provide 10,000 slots for 3- and 4-year-olds, compared with the 4,200 slots they currently provide for children of that age enrolled in optional programs. City officials have long been worried about the low enrollment of low-income children in pre-kindergarten classes, Head Start and subsidized child care.

       Superintendent Paul L. Vance said he supported the proposal, citing research pointing to the positive benefits linked to early childhood learning. “The earlier you can get these youngsters to make social and cognitive impressions, the better your chances of having productive learners,” he said. “I’d like to get all of these youngsters in school as early as possible.”

       But D.C. Board of Education President Peggy Cooper Cafritz raised the issue of funding. “Theoretically, it’s fabulous, but to enact such a piece of legislation without an appropriate appropriation is disingenuous and totally bamboozling us,” she said. School officials said that in addition to increased operating costs, they would face higher capital costs associated with more classroom space. The long-range master plan for school facilities also would need to be revised.   They also said they would need to provide transportation to 3- and 4-year-olds if Chavous’s proposal were enacted. The school system currently buses only special education students, and that service is often late and irregular. Education analysts said the proposal also is likely to raise thorny questions of parental choice.

       School officials “would need to do some hard calculations and have to make sure they provide generous options for parents,” including home instruction, said Sharon Lynn Kagan, co-director of the Center for Children and Families at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Barbara Willer, deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, said her group supports expanding early childhood education programs, but she raised the question of whether such programs should be mandatory. She said that compulsory attendance would pose the specter of a “Big Brother-type approach” and could be seen by some families as an intrusion.

 

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