Crisis in Kindergarten

Yesterday the Alliance for Childhood released to the media a report it has taken them nine long months to create, according to Joan Almon, executive director of the organization. Written by Joan and Alliance program director Edward Miller, and with a foreword by David Elkind and an afterword by Vivian Gussin Paley, the report is titled "Crisis in Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School." The report will be in print in a couple of weeks but has already been posted on the Alliance website, where you can read and comment on it. (To comment, click on the little dialog icons just above the paper clip icon on the left-hand side.)

A brief summary of the report on the Alliance home page reads:

New research shows that many kindergartens spend 2 to 3 hours per day instructing and testing children in literacy and math—with only 30 minutes per day or less for play. In some kindergartens there is no playtime at all. The same didactic, test-driven approach is entering preschools. But these methods, which are not well grounded in research, are not yielding long-term gains. Meanwhile, behavioral problems and preschool expulsion, especially for boys, are soaring.

Here are some of the statements found in the report:

• Accountability must go beyond standardized test scores and look at gains and losses in children's overall physical and mental health.
• Open-ended play is now a minor activity, or has been completely eliminated, in the kindergartens studied.
• Standardized testing has become an established part of kindergarten in spite of serious doubts about its validity in early childhood.
• A new study found that mothers are deeply concerned that their children are missing out on the joys of free play and natural exploration.
• "Faster is not better when it comes to early education." (Nancy Carlsson-Paige)
• There is a long-established view that kindergartens are quite different developmentally from first-graders and that their education should reflect that difference.
• Retention in kindergarten has increased even though research indicates that it does not help children and can do serious harm.
• Students who went to playful preschools had significantly fewer arrests and fewer years of special education for emotional impairment than similar students who went to a didactic, scripted-teaching preschool.
• Too many schools place a double burden on young children. First, they heighten their stress by demanding that they master material beyond their developmental level. Then they deprive children of their chief means of dealing with that stress -- creative play.

And, finally:

Once a kindergarten hums with play, all forms of learning take place spontaneously and deeply.

Whether you are a parent or a teacher, you should read this important report. You'll find information you can use to advocate for developmentally appropriate practices. Most importantly, if you're a teacher or a parent who has been frustrated by current, inappropriate practices, you'll find support.

Comments

[WendyZ]

Last night, I attended a workshop led by a 20+ year Kindergarten teacher. She said that now she's not allowed to have "play centers" in the room like she did for many years, and when she does set up a "play center" it causes a lot of behavior problems because the children do not know how to work cooperatively. That is so sad to me.

I can't wait to read the article!!

[Ellen M]

Hmmmm, not sure where my comment went to (?), but wanted to thank you for sharing this! This is a topic near and dear to my heart and I am slowly working my way through the report so that I can enjoy it all.

[Rae Pica]

I take it you posted a comment before, Ellen, and it mysteriously disappeared? The wonders of technology, huh?!

Again, you're very welcome. I am so glad that you're finding the information I share useful.

The report is long but definitely worth the time!

[Jaime Austria]

Thank you for bringing this antidote to "teaching to the test mania" to our attention!

Let us all work together to impress upon all policy makers -- elected and otherwise -- that ALL children deserve and have a right to a well-rounded and balanced education.

We have an all-volunteer and informal group of inspired individuals including Marni Nixon -- the singing voice of Natalie Wood in "West Side Story," Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady," and Deborah Kerr in "The King and I."
For more about Marni:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marni_Nixon

Our group launched a petition here in NYC last summer and out of that, another one was created and posted on November 14th 2008.

It's the Secretary of the Arts Petition inspired by Quincy Jones:
http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

The Washington Post wrote about it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011303264.html

So many signers bemoan the loss of arts and music in the schools. We will cull all those and create a separate packet to be concurrently delivered to the Secretary of Education and to the Education Committees of both houses of Congress.

I hope that you'll sign and invite as many as possible to do so as well.

To the infinitely mysterious power of music and all arts,
Deep gratitude,
Jaime Austria

"The arts are not frosting but baking soda." -- Michael Gazzaniga wrote in his most recent book, "Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique."

[Rae Pica]

I've signed the petition, Jaime! Thanks for calling our attention to it.