Building Blocks for Starting School the Right Way

Ilene S. SchwartzCollege of Education

Ilene@u.washington.edu

Every national report on education and every set of

educational goals includes as #1 helping children begin

kindergarten ready to learn

All children start kindergarten ready to learn

The challenge is insure that the kindergartens (and every other

grade) are ready to teach to diverse learners

So let’s reframe the question

• What skills and behaviors are related to children being more successful in school?

• What can we do before children begin school to help them acquire these skills and behaviors?

• What can we do when they are in school to facilitate success?

In other words, what can we do to help children achieve meaningful outcomes that

lead to an improved quality of life for them and their families

The most valued Kindergarten readiness skills

• Physically healthy, well rested, and well nourished

• Able to communicate wants, needs and thoughts effectively

• Enthusiastic about approaching new activities

Physically healthy, well rested, and well nourished

• Health insurance and medical homes for all children

• Insure that all children have enough to eat everyday

• Address the issue of homelessness and substandard housing for all citizens, but especially our youngest and most vulnerable citizens

-0.55-0.47

-0.22 -0.17

0.25 0.27

0.69 0.7

-1

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Math Achievement Reading Achievement

Standard Deviation Units (SD)

LowLow MiddleHigh MiddleHigh

SES Differences: Effect sizes (compared to middle class)

From Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K)

Able to communicate wants, needs and thoughts effectively,

• Learning to communicate effectively starts early and has life-long effects

• All children communicate• For some children we need to provide

explicit instruction in how and when to communicate

Words per hour to the child (ages 10-36 months)

• Professional class parents directed more than 3 times as many words per hour to their children than did welfare recipients 0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Professional

WorkingclassWelfare

From “Meaningful Differences”; Hart & Risely

Vocabulary Size at Age 3

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

ProfessionalsWorking ClassWelfare

Perry Preschool Study

• High/Scope foundation

• Michigan, mid 60’s• Two years of

preschool and weekly home visits

• Children followed through age 27

71

29

54

7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

HS or GED Earn >$2K/mo

PreschoolControl

Perry: Arrested 5 or More Times Before Age 40

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

No programgroup

Programgroup

Source: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation

Abecedarian Study• Craig Ramey & Frances

Campbell, et al.• North Carolina, 1970s• Full-day, full-year program

beginning at about 3 months• Remarkable, long-lasting

impact

93.5

87.7

80

82

84

86

88

90

92

94

96

98

100

Program

Control

Reading Scores at age 21

Abecedarian: Educational and Health Effects

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Attended a Four-Year College

Non-Smoker atAge 21

Didn't Repeat aGrade

No-program group Program group

Source: Carolina Abecedarian Study

Enthusiastic about approaching new activities.

• Student failure is instructional failure• All students and families need to belong

and be successful• Intensive programs are necessary to

address complex problems• Individualization is key

Skills

Membership Relationships

Community of PracticeParticipation in valued routines, rituals and activities

Key Points for EC Programs

• Starting early• Providing intensive services• Being comprehensive• Ensuring quality• Focusing on relationships

Is my child ready for kindergarten?

Let’s examine the following questions…

Does my child:

• have strong self-management skills?• work independently?• make his/her own choices without

teacher or parent interaction?• show willingness to try something new ,

is not apprehensive about new situations after a short adjustment period?

• wait his/her turn in a group situation in play, during snacks, sharing materials?

• interact well with other children on an equal footing?

• negotiate most of his/her own social problems fairly successfully?

• express his/herself well to communicate what he/she does and does not understand?

• have strong self-confidence and self-esteem?

Project SLIDE

• Fostering smoother within-classroom transitions

• Providing opportunities for practicing independent work

• Facilitating active engagement during group instruction

• Teaching children how to self-assess

Was it effective?

• Were less likely to need special education services when they reached first grade

• Received higher ratings on positive social and classroom behaviors from their teachers in the year following intervention

• Scored higher on academic readiness tests than a comparison group

Points for Action

• Target children who are at-risk, but make available for all children.

• Identify important outcomes for students and use effective instructional strategies to teach them

• Make sure that the program fits -- fits the child, family, and community

• Remember, all children are children first