Atlantic article - Preschool is Crushing Children

[hepatica]

During this season of giving and gifting, this new article in The Atlantic reminds me of the wonderful gift we have given our children by not sending them to school.

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/01/the-new-preschool-is-crushing-kids/419139/

 

This paragraph really struck a chord with me

 

The shift from an active and exploratory early-childhood pedagogy to a more scripted and instruction-based model does not involve a simple trade-off between play and work, or between joy and achievement. On the contrary, the preoccupation with accountability has led to a set of measures that favor shallow mimicry and recall behaviors, such as learning vocabulary lists and recognizing shapes and colors (something that a dog can do, by the way, but that is in fact an extraordinarily low bar for most curious 4-year-olds), while devaluing complex, integrative, and syncretic learning.

 

 

[JoJosMom]

Thank you for sharing this.

 

 

 

 

ETA:  I think I'm grateful.  This makes me :willy_nilly: :banghead:

 

 

Edited December 18, 2015 by JoJosMom

[mom2att]

True EC educators have been saying things like this for some time. Yet the policy makers continue to push skills and concepts at younger ages, defying knowledge of and sound practice in child development. Then when we don't see results, everyone wonders why. Will we ever learn that this cart before the horse strategy is not benefiting anybody, except maybe the companies producing preschool and kindergarten "curriculum?"

 

Good article. Thanks for sharing!

[Southern Ivy]

True EC educators have been saying things like this for some time. Yet the policy makers continue to push skills and concepts at younger ages, defying knowledge of and sound practice in child development. Then when we don't see results, everyone wonders why. Will we ever learn that this cart before the horse strategy is not benefiting anybody, except maybe the companies producing preschool and kindergarten "curriculum?"

 

Good article. Thanks for sharing!

Because the majority of the policy makers have never taught and have no idea what true education looks like. 

 

This change in EC is why I chose the preschool I chose - LOTS of play and only about an hour of education. I refuse to send her to the public preschool in town. Only 35 minutes of recess all day. I just cant. 

[Tsuga]

True EC educators have been saying things like this for some time. Yet the policy makers continue to push skills and concepts at younger ages, defying knowledge of and sound practice in child development. Then when we don't see results, everyone wonders why. Will we ever learn that this cart before the horse strategy is not benefiting anybody, except maybe the companies producing preschool and kindergarten "curriculum?"

 

Good article. Thanks for sharing!

Indeed! Nice to see some more pushback. Sad for all the lost years.

[Kalmia]

Excellent article. Looks like the author has a book coming out in February.

The Importance of Being Little

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525429077?keywords=The%20Importance%20of%20being%20little&qid=1450487779&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

[EmilyGF]

Parents of little people feel a lot of pressure these days. Friends of mine have their kids in 7.5 hour/day academic preschools and proudly proclaim, "My child is reading before kindergarten!" Coffee klatches like that can pile on the pressure for parents who have chosen a more traditional route. 

 

ETA: I actually gave a seminar on "homeschooling preschool and kindergarten" because of a friend whose neighbor's kids go to this preschool. She asked me, "Am I harming my 3-year-old by not sending her to preschool?" The more I read on sites the The Hechinger Report (an educational data analysis site), the more I realized that no, she was not. I think the Atlantic article cited a number of things I read about on Hechinger. Hechinger's data analysis of preschool is pretty depressing.

 

Emily

Edited December 19, 2015 by EmilyGF

[kiwik]

I am in NZ and my kids attended preschool and now primary school.  Preschool had a couple of 10 minute periods where the kids sat on a mat and sang songs but the rest of the time was free indoor and outdoor play.

 

The kids start school as soon as they turn 5 usually not knowing the whole alphabet [frequently only a handful of letters] and are generally reading by their 6th birthday [standard is level 12 - NZ books but the same as PM].  I don't think it is true to say that academic preschool is required if they are going to be reading by the end of K especially as a lot of the kids in the US start older than here.

 

I don't get waiting until 7 to teach reading though as by then most kids I know would have worked it out by themselves.  Maybe they only have to teach about 1/4 of the children to read?

[hepatica]

I think what I really liked about the article is that it begins to get at the larger question of what the general curricular goals should be for pre-school and kindergarten aged children. So some kids will work out the code for themselves, no doubt (I think research shows that is about 1/4 to 1/3 of children if they are regularly exposed to text). But, "reading" is quite different than "decoding." The types of interactions between skilled teachers and students that the article references are what make the foundation for reading, understanding and thinking. That stuff is hard to measure. You can't just sit a kid in front of a leveled reader and time him and count his mistakes. Kids who decode early and easily still need a conversation rich, exploration rich, play rich environment to give words real, personal meaning. And, decoding is not the be all and end all goal of pre-school. That it has become so is just sad and grim.

 

The biggest takeaway for me is that all this focus on academic readiness is not actually making kids more academically ready. Crazy, and crushing and ultimately ineffectual. I'll take watching the birds at my bird feeder over academic kindergarten any day.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2015 by hepatica

[hepatica]

Just found this great blog post on crushing rocks..... What young kid wouldn't prefer this to a desk and a classroom? This is what pre-school and kindergarten looked like when I was a kid.

 

http://www.letthechildrenplay.net/2012/07/never-underestimate-rock.html

 

[happypamama]

Just found this great blog post on crushing rocks..... What young kid wouldn't prefer this to a desk and a classroom? This is what pre-school and kindergarten looked like when I was a kid.

 

http://www.letthechildrenplay.net/2012/07/never-underestimate-rock.html

I love this!

 

If I could, I'd teach kindergarten the way I think it should be taught, with lots of free play indoors and out, plenty of imaginative toys and materials, and lots of cuddling with books, and NO PRESSURE. The benefits of an institutional setting would be the sharing of ideas and the pooling of resources. Ideally, it would be a place where parents would come WITH their children and interact alongside of them to a degree (but without overly directing or interfering with the children's own creative processes), but where someone else would do all the setting up and cleaning up and everything, and where the parents could have access to a wider range of materials than they could afford on their own. I think that would be so fun.

[Kalmia]

Just found this great blog post on crushing rocks..... What young kid wouldn't prefer this to a desk and a classroom? This is what pre-school and kindergarten looked like when I was a kid.

 

http://www.letthechildrenplay.net/2012/07/never-underestimate-rock.html

 

Oh my! My little friend Rene and I used to spend considerable time crushing (small) rocks in elementary school to make "gunpowder" (the 1970s, oh how times have changed) . We knew which rocks were the hardest, the softest, the glitteriest, and occasionally we even found some coal that had fallen near the entrance to the boiler room. Good times!

[Rachel]

Just found this great blog post on crushing rocks..... What young kid wouldn't prefer this to a desk and a classroom? This is what pre-school and kindergarten looked like when I was a kid.

 

http://www.letthechildrenplay.net/2012/07/never-underestimate-rock.html

My kids brought home a backpack full of rocks from a recent hike. They have spent much of their playtime lately turning the rocks into dust. So funny that other kids do that too.

[Tsuga]

I would like to say that although I agree with the article, there ARE play-based pre-schools and I promise you, my kids spend lots of time crushing rocks and making "potions".

 

I think there's a balance.

 

I think children in the larger cities--whether they are rich or poor--have the least time for this because they spend more time indoors, and that breaks my heart.

[kiwik]

I got some funny looks when I let the kids spend time smashing concrete bits with a hammer.  I had to stop them though because ds8 started smashing the actual steps.

[Mrs Twain]

The author seems to think the solution to early education is determining the best model for preschool. Studies evaluating preschools likely do not consider the most relevant factors--namely how the parents have educated their children from birth until kindergarten.

 

For example, Boston preschools are cited as being better than others. Boston parents are likely much more academically minded on average and prepare their kids for school better than parents in other parts of the country. Did the study take this into account?

 

Many things can be done by parents to help their children accelerate in academics, but choice of preschool is least important.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I consider it a wonderful gift to send my daughter to preschool.

 

Lots of free play. Lots of paint and play doh and glitter and glue... Daily field trips. And storytime. And singing.

 

And it costs a bloody fortune. It would be cheaper to have both kids at home with a nanny. But my daughter needs a lot of stimulation, and right now a group environment is absolutely best for her.

[EmilyGF]

I would like to say that although I agree with the article, there ARE play-based pre-schools and I promise you, my kids spend lots of time crushing rocks and making "potions".

 

I think there's a balance.

 

I think children in the larger cities--whether they are rich or poor--have the least time for this because they spend more time indoors, and that breaks my heart.

I think the point of the article is that new research shows the way preschool is being implemented in Tennessee (which has a publicly funded preschool) is crushing children - the children begin K, 1, and 2 ahead but then end up behind by third grade. This is problematic since public funds are involved and publicly funded preschool is being pushed other places. 

 

Are there awesome play-based preschools? YES. DEFINITELY. Is that what Tennessee has done with its public preschools? No. And it isn't what I see being done in the publicly funded preschools around me, though of course I am only in one place! People where I live who aren't rolling in dough expect preschool to be academic and brag about their kids' academic achievements in preschools. 

 

Are there parents who choose good preschools for their kids? Yes. But kids who went to public preschool in Tennessee appeared to have an advantage - until it came back to bite them.

Emily

[Ausmumof3]

I am in NZ and my kids attended preschool and now primary school. Preschool had a couple of 10 minute periods where the kids sat on a mat and sang songs but the rest of the time was free indoor and outdoor play.

 

The kids start school as soon as they turn 5 usually not knowing the whole alphabet [frequently only a handful of letters] and are generally reading by their 6th birthday [standard is level 12 - NZ books but the same as PM]. I don't think it is true to say that academic preschool is required if they are going to be reading by the end of K especially as a lot of the kids in the US start older than here.

 

I don't get waiting until 7 to teach reading though as by then most kids I know would have worked it out by themselves. Maybe they only have to teach about 1/4 of the children to read?

I think this often quoted thing happens in European countries and the kids are taught the alphabet. Because some (not all) of the languages are easier to decode than English I imagine many of the kids will have learned to read.

[Ausmumof3]

I love this!

 

If I could, I'd teach kindergarten the way I think it should be taught, with lots of free play indoors and out, plenty of imaginative toys and materials, and lots of cuddling with books, and NO PRESSURE. The benefits of an institutional setting would be the sharing of ideas and the pooling of resources. Ideally, it would be a place where parents would come WITH their children and interact alongside of them to a degree (but without overly directing or interfering with the children's own creative processes), but where someone else would do all the setting up and cleaning up and everything, and where the parents could have access to a wider range of materials than they could afford on their own. I think that would be so fun.

I would come to your preschool!

[Tsuga]

The author seems to think the solution to early education is determining the best model for preschool. Studies evaluating preschools likely do not consider the most relevant factors--namely how the parents have educated their children from birth until kindergarten.

 

For example, Boston preschools are cited as being better than others. Boston parents are likely much more academically minded on average and prepare their kids for school better than parents in other parts of the country. Did the study take this into account?

 

Many things can be done by parents to help their children accelerate in academics, but choice of preschool is least important.

 

Unless you are thinking of extended, paid, equal parental leave, I think that how we care for small children while their parents work to pay for food, shelter, and transport, is of utmost importance.

 

Very few Americans are in a position to pay for health care, a stable home, retirement, an emergency fund, and transport in a safe place where children can play outdoors, on the income of a single parent, particularly as the life of the grandparents is extended and parents need to put in more work for that.

 

And there will be a long road before we can count on the entire population to homeschool their children without significant intervention by... somebody, anybody.

[Tsuga]

I think the point of the article is that new research shows the way preschool is being implemented in Tennessee (which has a publicly funded preschool) is crushing children - the children begin K, 1, and 2 ahead but then end up behind by third grade. This is problematic since public funds are involved and publicly funded preschool is being pushed other places. 

 

Are there awesome play-based preschools? YES. DEFINITELY. Is that what Tennessee has done with its public preschools? No. And it isn't what I see being done in the publicly funded preschools around me, though of course I am only in one place! People where I live who aren't rolling in dough expect preschool to be academic and brag about their kids' academic achievements in preschools. 

 

Are there parents who choose good preschools for their kids? Yes. But kids who went to public preschool in Tennessee appeared to have an advantage - until it came back to bite them.

Emily

 

That's a good point. I was probably on the defensive since the pre-school so maligned is not what we experienced at all. But you're right, it's very real.

 

And one thing that we just can't seem to come to grips with in this country: when you don't pay people a living wage, they fall into poverty, and they also tend to give up and distrust the system and that distrust of authority is NOT the attitude kids need to succeed in school. Skepticism, sure, but distrust as in "I believe you are telling me something to keep me down even when I work" which is very much an attitude that pervades a large portion of the indigent and working poor.

 

We have to build up a working society and then programs will work. The band-aids won't work.

[hepatica]

I do think there is an issue of socio-economic disadvantage at work here, and this will continue as more states and municipalities roll out universal Pre-K programs. It will be interesting to see how universal Pre-K plays out in NY City. But, this is not just a problem in new, publicly funded, universal Pre-K programs. In the school district where we reside (which is a wealthy, high preforming district), kindergarten is now a bear. Kids have homework, and are expected to be reading by the end of the year. So, preschools, which previously included almost no academic work, are now changing to accommodate the new kindergarten expectations. And, almost all the districts have moved to full day kindergarten, so kids are coming home so worn out there is little energy left for the kind of free play kids this age really need (not to mention the growth of organized sports for 5 and 6 year olds)

 

However, I also think the article is also trying to get at a broader point (and hopefully the forthcoming book will expound on this) - specifically, that it is not about "balance." It is not an issue of academic seat work balanced with ample time for free play (which in itself would be am improvement on some emerging preschool experiences). Rather, the question is whether academic work (i.e. direct instruction in the form of pencil and paper work -math facts, worksheets, naming and labeling, reading instruction etc) is in and of itself counter-productive. In other words we actually stifle creativity and intellectual development by not allowing learning to occur in a more organic fashion at these early ages.

Edited December 21, 2015 by hepatica

[EmilyGF]

I do think there is an issue of socio-economic disadvantage at work here, and this will continue as more states and municipalities roll out universal Pre-K programs. It will be interesting to see how universal Pre-K plays out in NY City. But, this is not just a problem in new, publicly funded, universal Pre-K problems. In the school district where we reside (which is a wealthy, high preforming district), kindergarten is now a bear. Kids have homework, and are expected to be reading by the end of the year. So, preschools, which previously included almost no academic work, are now changing to accommodate the new kindergarten expectations. And, almost all the districts have moved to full day kindergarten, so kids are coming home so worn out there is little energy left for the kind of free play kids this age really need (not to mention the growth of organized sports for 5 and 6 year olds)

 

However, I also think the article is also trying to get at a broader point (and hopefully the forthcoming book will expound on this) - specifically, that it is not about "balance." It is not an issue of academic seat work balanced with ample time for free play (which in itself would be am improvement on some emerging preschool experiences). Rather, the question is whether academic work (i.e. direct instruction in the form of pencil and paper work -math facts, worksheets, naming and labeling, reading instruction etc) is in and of itself counter-productive. In other words we actually stifle creativity and intellectual development by not allowing learning to occur in a more organic fashion at these early ages.

Yes, but the data showed that pre-k put the kids ahead for 3 years - so they expected/hoped that it would last. Instead, it faded and left them further behind.

 

Emily

[shawthorne44]

I am in NZ and my kids attended preschool and now primary school.  Preschool had a couple of 10 minute periods where the kids sat on a mat and sang songs but the rest of the time was free indoor and outdoor play.

 

The kids start school as soon as they turn 5 usually not knowing the whole alphabet [frequently only a handful of letters] and are generally reading by their 6th birthday [standard is level 12 - NZ books but the same as PM].  I don't think it is true to say that academic preschool is required if they are going to be reading by the end of K especially as a lot of the kids in the US start older than here.

 

I don't get waiting until 7 to teach reading though as by then most kids I know would have worked it out by themselves.  Maybe they only have to teach about 1/4 of the children to read?

 

Probably a two thirds unless the parents explain some things while reading to them.  I forget the source but I've read that about 1/3 of kids figure it out for themselves.  1/3 of kids can learn to read using any method.   1/3 of kids need to be Taught very deliberately.  

[Kiara.I]

I'm curious how a format like Montessori would compare with the models they're talking about.  Montessori gets criticized sometimes for being "too academic" or "too structured."  It's certainly not play-based or imaginative.  But in another way it's very unstructured--the child chooses her own work, and it's not "direct instruction" and pencil/paper the way some of this is being described.

[HomeAgain]

I'm curious how a format like Montessori would compare with the models they're talking about.  Montessori gets criticized sometimes for being "too academic" or "too structured."  It's certainly not play-based or imaginative.  But in another way it's very unstructured--the child chooses her own work, and it's not "direct instruction" and pencil/paper the way some of this is being described.

 

A Montessori-hybrid school is what I imagined when I read the article.  Children often prefer tools to toys.  Giving them tools, teaching them how to use them, and allowing them free choice over what they use is just as necessary as a play time.  I do not think it does children any disservice to introduce tools into their lives - on the contrary, it gives them a sense of accomplishment.

 

My ideal school would have a Montessori bent, with tools for many various activities available to the child, but also have plenty of interaction with books, adults, and free play.  Rather, like I imagine, we do now, just on a larger scale.  This morning I had 3 children from 2-5yo running around the house.  They researched spiders (with help) after finding one, and decided to catch and release it in the "wild".  They learned about holiday traditions from our winter solstice book for storytime.  They concluded that reindeer were herbivores, and if we were to make bags of food for them, the bags had to have grass in it along with the oats (they settled for grass seed).  They took the child-sized gardening tools and dug a giant hole in the backyard.  They tasted and watered the herb garden. They built fairy houses from blocks.  The one asked how to spell the word "fairy" so the wee folk would know it's for them.  They quizzed each other on math after realizing that "thousands" was a unit, and that 5,000 + 5,000 could be done as easily as 5 ducks + 5 ducks. They smelled different spices and learned where they came from.  They got to see the beginning and end result in making marshmallows.  They swept up, wiped up, and cleaned up after lunch.  Up until a few minutes ago two were climbing the tree and one was using clings to decorate my door.

 

5 hours.  LOTS of activity, lots of child-directed learning, tools for accomplishing, and imaginative play.  A small bit of "academics", also mostly child led (the book was totally all me).  They were talked to, asked to talk about and describe their own works, and given new vocabulary.

 

If public school were more like this I'd send my 5yo in a heartbeat because he needs the hands on.  Unfortunately it starts in pre-k here, how to sit, be part of a chorus, and obey direction instantly.

Edited December 21, 2015 by HomeAgain

[shawthorne44]

My ideal preschool would be like an ideal home environment with a bit of playdate thrown in.  Lots of books being read, lots of running around.  Maybe some executive function games for that age like Simon Says or that game where you dance around and then when the music stops you have to freeze into a position that matches a card you saw at the start of that dance.  Messy art like finger-painting.  No electronics.