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What Causes Fade Out?
October 16, 2015
If we have a big enough “why,” we will always discover the “how.”
-Tara Semisch
-Tara Semisch
The recently released results of the Tennessee Pre-K Study show that improved outcomes gained during the Pre-K year are not sustained by the end of the third grade. These results are similar to others studies such as the Head Start Impact Study. Linda Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development, responded to the "fade out" factor in her message, "Responding to the Tennessee Pre-K Study". Smith suggested we consider these factors as contributors to 'fade out':
"First, fade out is not well understood. There are several things that should be considered. Do the gains fade out because of the quality of the Pre-K program or because of the quality of K thru Grade 3? Is the fade out the result of K-3 teachers focusing on those children who have had no formal early learning experiences — sometimes referred to as 'catch-up' — or is the dosage of the Pre-K experience (one year vs. two years or half-day vs. full-day) something that needs to be better understood?
"Second, what do we really know about the quality of the Pre-K experiences overall? The quality of early learning programs has not been studied closely. In the years since the Head Start Impact Study was conducted in 2002, much has been done to improve the quality of Head Start....
"Third, how a child performs on certain scales such as literacy and mathematics are important, but alone are not the only measure of how a child is doing. It is well understood that the social-emotional development of children is at the core of their ability to learn academic skills and function in society.... As anyone who has ever taught kindergartners will attest, skills such as self-regulation may be the biggest indicators of how a child will perform later in life. What happens to this aspect of development during the K thru Grade 3 period deserves more study...
"Fourth, another question that is still largely unstudied is how the quality of the learning experiences in the schools the children attend impacts fade out and why. Do the gains fade out because there is no alignment between the Pre-K and elementary school approaches to learning or curriculum? If so, how do we improve the alignment between two systems that are so different?
"Fifth, are there more sustainable gains if children are provided rich early learning experiences earlier, beginning at birth, as the neuroscience suggests? If, as research demonstrates, by the age of three, poor children have heard 30 million words less than their economically advantaged peers, then the time to start is much earlier than Pre-K for four-year-olds."
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Comments (8)
Displaying 5 of 8 Comments [ View all ]Kids' World
Bellingham, Wa, United States
In response to TS in Florida .
That's a great story.
When they said, hey, We just need them when they are 5, that didn't work so they said,, hey we really need them when they are 3 and 4, well that's didn't work either. Now , well they say, give them to us as infants and give us the parents too. I do not buy it.
Our social systems that keep people in poverty are an epidemic. Social engineers and institutions of "higher education" have convinced those in poverty that they cannot do it without a full staff of social workers and a ton of government entitlements. And now, it is about those , teachers and social workers , professors , etc , jobs ( think votes) power and money. Not about kids.
I applaud your friend.
But I hope people do not give "the system " their babies.
Radical change starts one child, one program at a time.
Kids' World
Bellingham, Wa, United States
Doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
This study, like so many before it, point to a filed system, failed programs, that, like our school systems just keep getting more and more money to do the same thing that is not working.
Children are individuals. Why do we continue to believe we can mass them into groups and "teach" them as if they are all the same. It is time for radical change. Has been time for a long time. But IT STOPPED BEING ABOUT CHILDREN A LONG TIME AGO. It is about money, power, controll. Not about kids.
NVCSS
OROVILLE, California, United States
The quality of education matters, however, the quality of the foundation of the family is the most important. Without a safe and loving home environment, children will lose the opportunity to soar to their potential.
Altamonte Springs, Florida (FL), United States
After teaching vibrant and successful first graders in an inner city school for several years, my friend became increasingly dismayed as she watched those same children begin to act out and fail academically as they got older. She wanted to do something about it. So, she opened her own school, beginning with age 3. She STILL saw her students later failing or falling through the cracks, so she decided to begin with prenatal care and an infant/toddler program for those who needed it, and to to incorporate different support strategies (specifically, she partnered with the Parents As Teacher (PAT) program; transitioned to an AMI Montessori curriculum; included Play Therapy and Reading Recovery options; and provided before and after school care for working families). Her school only goes to third grade, and after that the students attend their regular neighborhood school elementary, middle and high schools.
The result is that in a neighborhood where less than half graduate high school, 88% of her alumni are graduates, and of those 94% go on to college. Students outperformed at both the state and national levels on standardized tests. And the school has received awards from the APA for support of children's emotional well-being.
We know that the cognitive architecture of the child's brain is being formed in the early years (especially birth to 6). If the "software" doesn't get "loaded on" properly, or not at all, that child is at a disadvantage. As a medical doctor, Maria Montessori wanted education to match how human beings actually grow and develop, and current research shows that the closer a school adheres to her model, the greater the gains across domains. My friend's school shows that when the brain and body are given ample opportunity for healthy development during sensitive periods, that they will be prepared for life brings them later on.
https://lumineducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2013-Info-Packet.pdf
medford, ma, United States
Lori, we already have! It's happening...
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