Last week, I mentioned the demise of PBS Kids’ Reading Rainbow and the perils of teaching the mechanics of reading without the love of it. I also mentioned a New York Times editorial about some of the failings of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Seems like several papers are all over this issue as we start the school year. Last Sunday’s Boston Globe Magazine had a feature titled, “Pressure Cooker Kindergarten,” which explored how the NCLB-driven focus on testing has affected young children:
But increasingly in schools across Massachusetts and the United States, little children are being asked to perform academic tasks, including test taking, that early childhood researchers agree are developmentally inappropriate, even potentially damaging. If children don’t meet certain requirements, they are deemed “not proficient.” Frequently, children are screened for “kindergarten readiness” even before school begins, and some are labeled inadequate before they walk through the door.
This is a troubling trend to an experienced educator like [38-year veteran teacher Christine Gerzon], who knows how much a child can soak up in the right environment. After years of study and practice, she’ll tell you that 5-year-olds don’t learn by listening to a rote lesson, their bottoms on their chairs. They learn through experience. They learn through play. Yet there is a growing disconnect between what the research says is best for children—a classroom free of pressure—and what’s actually going on in schools.
It’s a must-read for any of us with children going into kindergarten, and anyone with an interest in our country’s educational system.
I hope, however, that we don’t end up in the situation where a backlash against NCLB leads to a shift in the complete opposite direction. Yes, a lack of pressure and an emphasis on play is best for most kids in this age range, but that doesn’t mean we should postpone all “academic” teaching until first grade. Some kindergarteners are ready for reading and math, and love the thrill of being able to figure out words or addition problems on their own. Some thrive with more structure; some don’t. The trick isn’t choosing between academics and play—it is in treating each child as an individual and giving them the right balance of activities to meet their needs, whatever they may be.
The best thing kindergarten can do, in my opinion, is to instill the social skills and love of learning that will serve children well in future grades. For some, this may mean challenging them with basic academic skills; for others, it may mean working on hand-eye coordination, taking turns, sharing with others, or some combination of all of the above.
This is tougher than just changing the academic testing requirements. It means better resource allocation, incenting people to become teachers, and giving our schools the money to maintain a high teacher-student ratio.
If I knew how to do this, I’d be Secretary of Education. Since I don’t, I’ll ask you: What are the top one or two things you’d do to improve education in your country, at any grade?