November/December 2008

When Worlds Collide
Universal preK brings new challenges for public elementary schools
by David McKay Wilson

In 2005, when Boston mayor Thomas Menino announced his plan to make prekindergarten available to all four-year-olds in the city, parents and early childhood advocates applauded this initiative to add a 14th year to the city’s public school system.

Three years later, after preK classrooms were established in 50 of the city’s 67 elementary schools, educators say implementing the mayor’s vision has proved to be a major challenge. There were facility issues: none of the classrooms had running water or bathrooms, so administrators lobbied to build toilet facilities in the rooms—at the cost of $35,000 each. There were oversight issues: many of the elementary school principals weren’t sensitive to the needs of four-year-olds, so Boston established a professional development academy for administrators faced with the prospect of educating preschoolers.

Then there was the impact on the elementary schools where those four-year-olds were getting ready for kindergarten. When those students turned five, they were so well prepared that the district had to retool its kindergarten curriculum to keep pace with children much more ready to learn.

The issues faced in Boston are similar to those experienced by educators across the country as they grapple with the flood of public support for preschool education. PreK is the fastest-growing sector in public education, with scores of elementary schools adding preK classes or developing early childhood centers for young children. But adding another grade to a school isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when those being taught are three or four years old.

“At the outset, elementary schools are gloriously unprepared to serve preschoolers,” says Jason Sachs, director of early childhood for the Boston Public Schools, who is in charge of implementing Menino’s vision. “With the district’s support, we’ve made great strides. It has been a fascinating ride.”

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Answers and Questions
Schools survey their students—and grapple with the results
by Laura Pappano

The most common open-ended response on the High School Survey of Student Engagement is perhaps the most revealing.

“Many kids say, ‘Why are we taking this survey? No one will listen to us,’” says Ethan Yazzie-Mintz, survey director at the Center for Evaluation and Policy at Indiana University, whose 2008 High School Survey of Student Engagement reached 68,000 students in 29 states. Although it may sound like a throwaway line, says Yazzie-Mintz, their comment nails the problem precisely: students don’t feel heard.

While principals, teachers, and education policymakers are constantly parsing data on student achievement, there is growing concern that data on student engagement—and other aspects of students’ experience—are missing. A significant body of evidence links student engagement to graduation rates and academic success. But while educators may think they are involving students intellectually, socially, and emotionally, students often see it differently.

Large-scale student surveys are fast becoming valuable tools for educators. Access to student perceptions, proponents say, offers better information on everything from how welcoming a school is to how well students understand the nuts and bolts of the college application process.

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Universal PreK: Two Views
by David McKay Wilson

Bruce Fuller: “Focus on Expanding PreK in Poor Communities”

Since the early days of Head Start, the debate has raged over public support for early childhood education, with the federal government deciding more than four decades ago to back programs that support the children of low-income families.

Today that debate has shifted to municipalities and states, where advocates for universal preK urge public funding for all three- and four-year-olds whose parents want to send them. Others, meanwhile, argue that with scarce public dollars, the funding should be focused on low-income preschoolers.

Bruce Fuller, professor of education and public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, maintains that research has yet to show that middle-income children receive long-term benefits from preK education and, therefore, public funding of preschool should be aimed at helping low-income youngsters where the benefits are backed by a more solid body of research….

Libby Doggett: “A Huge Opportunity” for Middle-Income Children

Libby Doggett, a long-time leader in early childhood education, wants public funding for quality prekindergarten for every three- and four-year-old in America.

Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now, an advocacy group formed by the Pew Charitable Trust in 2002, says middle-income children, as well as low-income children, deserve and can benefit from publicly funded preK programs. Up to age five is a crucial time for brain development, says Doggett. “That’s when they learn to talk, [to] control their emotions and actions,” says Doggett. “PreK can make a huge difference. And it’s not just low-income children whose brains are developing.”

Doggett cites a wide range of studies to demonstrate the impact of preK: increased graduation rates, better scores on standardized tests, reduced grade repetition, and fewer special education placements. Other studies, she says, show that students who had attended preK were less likely to be arrested for a violent crime, more likely to be employed, and more likely to report that they get along well with their families. …

For more Voices on the universal preK debate, go to Voices from the Field http://www.edletter.org/fcd/index.shtml

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