Posted on 05/12/2009 11:18:38 AM PDT by Conservative Coulter Fan
WASHINGTON, DC— Among many educators and public officials in the U.S. is a drumbeat for “universal pre-school”—and for government to provide it to all 4-year olds so as to close school-readiness gaps and prepare kids to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
In his newest book, Reroute the Preschool Juggernaut (Hoover Press, 2009), Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Chester E. Finn, Jr. takes strong issue with this conventional wisdom and examines such fundamental questions as: Which children really need preschool that aren’t already getting it? Will a universal program help the kids who need it most? Will it be a costly windfall for millions of other families? What about Headstart? What defines “quality” in this area and who should provide these services? Is this more about extending the mandate of public-school systems or furnishing needy young children with important skills?
President Obama has stated that early childhood education is one of his top priorities and the federal government should spend an additional $10 billion per year on it.
Reroute the Preschool Juggernaut examines all the crucial angles of this debate and finds major flaws in the “universal” approach to preschool education:
- It is expensive, with much of the cost a needless subsidy to families making their own preschool or daycare arrangements.
- It does not deliver the education services that would do the neediest kids the most good.
- It evades responsibility to retool existing programs.
- Preschool experts cannot agree on the intended outcomes of such programs.
- Preschool benefits don’t last unless corollary reforms are made to the public schools.
Why allow government to start the brainwashing early?
Private school for my kids ...
NO
...universial indoctrination....and brainwashing.
Oh hell.. start right in the womb....
Researched the public, private, religious, and homeschooling options
with the major criteria of teaching from a truthful worldview instead of a secular worldview,
and determined that nothing beats homeschooling.
Just sayin’.
It’s so unbelievably stupid. At preschool ages, very few children’s brains are sufficiently developed to be ready for reading instruction.
The educational part of Head Start is one of the biggest government boondoogles in human history. However all is not lost. It does make liberals feel good.
Big study 3 years ago said kids dumped in daycare ended up far more violent than kids who stayed home with mommy.
Resist the urgings to throw your children under the public bus.
These “two income families” need to do a serious examination of how insignificant that second income is after taxes and expenses, not to mention the intangibles like family strength and well raised children.
I’ve heard, though, excuses like “I want to contribute to the family income” or “that’s chauvenist to think the mom should stay home”. It’s old fashioned, yes, but it was done that way for a reason - it was best for the family.
In that real world you will work with a highly heterogeneous group with a range of age, experiences, abilities, and specialized knowledge. You will learn from some, and eventually teach others - just as you learned from your parents and teach your children.
No.
That was easy. Next question?
no. It is a bad idea.
Children at that age need to play hard to test their limits.
Out running, playing, getting hurt, having fun.
Sitting in an air conditioned school house for a good part of the day should be illegal.
Um... prison?
The daycare down the street caters to a bunch of prepubescent crybabies...and they’re just the parents.
We are in the era of egocentric Marxism: "To ME according to MY needs".
ping
Response: That is never the issue.
Comments: Talking about it, creating a boom for the idea, spending money and getting votes. The aforementioned is the true basis for "Preschool."
Doesn’t surprise me a whit. Back when my sons were small (in the early 80s) I could tell almost immediately which of their friend’s were daycare kids. They were more aggressive, louder, etc.
As for universal preschool, I say no, but lots of parents will want it, after all it’s more free daycare (and daycare they can feel good about). The sad truth is, many children get zero enrichment at home. I don’t think it says something bad that some people genuinely would like to fix that. I just don’t think there is a fix other than removing the child from the home and putting them in a different home. And I’m not prepared for us to do that.
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