Posted on 08/22/2008 3:01:39 PM PDT by Amelia
Barack Obama says he believes in universal preschool and if he's elected president he'll pump "billions of dollars into early childhood education." Universal preschool is now second only to universal health care on the liberal policy wish list....
..."Advocates and supporters of universal preschool often use existing research for purely political purposes," says James Heckman, a University of Chicago Noble laureate in economics whose work Mr. Obama and preschool activists routinely cite. "But the solid evidence for the effectiveness of early interventions is limited to those conducted on disadvantaged populations."...
...If anything, preschool may do lasting damage to many children. A 2005 analysis by researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, found that kindergartners with 15 or more hours of preschool every week were less motivated and more aggressive in class. Likewise, Canada's C.D. Howe Institute found a higher incidence of anxiety, hyperactivity and poor social skills among kids in Quebec after universal preschool.
The only preschool programs that seem to do more good than harm are very intense interventions targeted toward severely disadvantaged kids. A 1960s program in Ypsilanti, Mich., a 1970s program in Chapel Hill, N.C., and a 1980s program in Chicago, Ill., all report a net positive effect on adult crime, earnings, wealth and welfare dependence for participants. But the kids in the Michigan program had low IQs and all came from very poor families, often with parents who were drug addicts and neglectful.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
and so we do!
“And, to me there is a significant difference between the 2 or 3 morning a week church preschools, and an all-day, 5-day-a-week program... “
it’s the typical problem with liberalism.
They take something that is good - a “little” bit of preschool, and twist it into something bad.
You make an excellent point.
The educational system and society has changed dramatically in the last fifty years.
Dollars to donuts you came home from school at age five to "mom" and there wasn't a T.V., video games to continue to simulate your brain all the while sucking down a sugar laden drink and eating junk food. Instead you went outside to burn some energy off and play.
Also, I would recommend to visit a preschool class and see what they are trying to force into these kids brains. Concepts and learning techniques they are not ready for mentally
Protect our kids from SCHOOL!! There fixed it!!
So true!! My wife got, from a friend of hers, a subscription to 'Working Mother' magazine. My wife saw the magazine and after 2 issues, she cancelled it. I bet Working Marxist - er, I meant Working Mother - is endorsing Obama for president.
Homeschool is the best - if you want to raise CONSERVATIVES!!
They went to the William Ayers/Jeremiah Wright School of Socialism and Anti-Americanism!! :-)
How can you be a retired TERRORIST?
Dad of homeschoolers here!! (including RightWingTeen on here!!)
Hyde Park aristocracy?
Amelia, it’s by design.
There is an active goal on the left to destroy the family.
Every issue they support has the effect and intent of destroying the family.
Well I take that back. According to this, 11 states have compulsory attendance laws beginning at age 5. You could easily homeschool, however. Two states don’t require school until age 8.
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/50/51/5051.htm
Connecticut: “The parent or person having control of a child five years of age shall have the option of not sending the child to school until the child is six years of age and the parent or person having control of a child six years of age shall have the option of not sending the child to school until the child is seven years of age.
Kind of odd, huh?
“You could easily homeschool, however. Two states don’t require school until age 8.”
Jen must have stepped out for a bit..
But, there is no doubt that she will be a homeschooling mom!
She was also homeschooled herself..
I certainly will be homeschooling!
However, I think even places where kindergarten isn’t mandatory, the attitude communicated to parents is “you have to put them in kindergarten or they’ll be behind”. I bet the same happens with preschool once we start paying for it.
I agree that many issues have that effect, but do you really believe that is actually the intent?
“However, I think even places where kindergarten isn’t mandatory, the attitude communicated to parents is “you have to put them in kindergarten or they’ll be behind”. I bet the same happens with preschool once we start paying for it.”
I’m sure you’re right..
And, the kids who “need” Pre-school, can likely already get it through Head Start or Special Ed.
Yes, there are some who fully know and understand the effects of universal pre-K. They are called Marxists.
Lenin had a term to describe the well-meaning but foolish people who help: “Useful Idiot”!
There are Useful Idiots by the millions in this nation.
I think one of the reasons for "universal" preschool is that middle class parents don't want underprivileged children getting either government paid day care or a possible educational edge on their own children - so to an extent that is true already.
I've seen some studies suggesting that Head Start doesn't work as well as was hoped in part because they hire uneducated, low-income parents as caregivers and in part because there is not a rigorous or set curriculum to provide remediation to these children.
?????
Our 4 year-old son is about to start in an awesome preschool and we're pretty happy about it as I'm sure almost every other parent who saw it would be. It's only three mornings a week. It's in a nice country setting. It's run by a church so there is some religious instruction but this is not the only focus. There is also an academic program - by the end of the year all the kids can count to 100 and from what I have seen they will also have advanced remarkably far in learning about spelling. They will also be learning about lots of other things such as music, nature, science, etc. and going on a few field trips. It's a very stimulating environment but at the same time not overly intense.
BTW I would not say that this is an "elite" school and the charge is quite reasonable.
Our son has actually been going to a three-morning pre-school for about a year. That one is not as impressive but it has been good for socialization and learning to try new foods. Before that he was never out of our sight except for a few hours spent with his grandparents.
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