1-15-15: “Rebecca Marcon found negative effects of overly-directed preschool instruction on later school performance in a study of three different curricula, described as either ‘academically oriented’ or ‘child-initiated.’ By third grade, her group of 343 students — 96% African American with 75% of the children qualifying for subsidized school lunch — displayed few differences in academic achievement programs. After six years of school, however, students who had been in the groups that were ‘more academically directed earned significantly lower grades compared to children who had attended child-initiated preschool classes. Children’s later school success appears to have been enhanced by more active, child-initiated early learning experiences.’”
– “Reading Instruction in Kindergarten: Little To Gain and Much to Lose,” Alliance for Childhood and Defending Early Years, Jan. 13, 2015, p. 4.
Advocacy resources for educating our children
