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The Crisis in Early Education

A Research"Based Casefor More Plav andLessPressure
ByJoan Alrnon and Edward Miller "While earlyformal instructionmay appearto showgoodtestresultsat first, in the long term, suchchildrenhavehad n<r in follow-upstudies, On the contrary, especially in the advantage. to earlyformal incaseof boys,subjection their tendency structionincreases to distance from the goalsof schools, themselves and to drop out of it, either mentallyor physically." -Lilinn G. Katz, ProfessorEmeriftn, U. of lllinok in the U.S.continues The crisisin ear$ education unabated.@thehugedisbetween@tf& know about how crepancy umerous studies-some extending over decof play-basededuades-show the effectiveness cation that combines hands-on-lE5ffiffiTh 6Eik[-initi4ted play. B ut Tfifrt-?386'rtffilar gely ignored.Instead,short-termstudies that showgains in discreteskills like letter and numberrecognition
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and kindsrgartensand link behaviorin preschools in school. childrenexperience theseto the stress When Walter Gilliam, head of the Child Study almost4,000teachers from Centerat Yale,surveyed preschtrcls, he learned that threeand state-financed four-year-old childrenwere being expelledat three timesthe nationalrate for K-12 students. And 4.5 from preschool fimesmoreboyswerebeingexpelled than girls.3 Gilliam'sdata showeda correlationbetweenthe and expulsion amountof dramaticplay in preschool rates-W" Other researchers rising ratesof aggressive behaviorin are examining pre-K andkindergarten The Alliancefor classrooms. Childhood's Crisisin the Kindergarfendocuments examples:a several The Hartford Courantreported that in the earliestgrades, Connecticut students are increasingly beincludingkindergarten, havingin waysthat posephysical threatsto themselves and others.s Connecticut schools kindergartners for suspended or expelled901 fighting,defiance, or tempertantrumsin2002; this wasalmosttwice asmanyasin 2000.6 One New Havenschqrcl olficial attributed the spikein violenceamongyoungchildren to the increasing on standardized emphasis testingand the eliminationof time for reqess, gym,Indother@ it waswhenwe werekids,whenyou could expectto havean hour or s0 eyery day tn play and explore,"shesaid.u'That kind of time just isnt there anymore."? A Timemagazine article in 2003linked behaviors with risingacademic aggressive pressure in kindergarten andfirst gradein by anticipationof the yearlytestsdemanded the No Child Left BehtudAct. Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley rmdan disorders, expertin hyperactive spokeof the needfor a broad-based kindergarten approach: "Eveil more vital than eady

psychologistlJean Piagetf,who Swiss died in 1980, mappeditt.*tugerdfc6$lfitdevelopmentinchitdhood. He frequently ran into what he called "the How cEn pe speed, Americanquestion": up the pr<-rcess?l devel<-rpmental t &fn'ltW{^) The pushingdown of the elementary schoolcurriculuminto earlychildhoodhasreached a newpeak with the adoptionby almost every state of the soThey call for kindercalledcommoncore standards. gartners to master more than 90 skills related to ljteracy and math, many intendedto get childrep in kindergarten.z Yet there is no research' r\ \ t g ,r , -,/reading thatchildren who readat asefive do better showins Hk( ' rwho learnat sixor seven. \ in the longrun than Lhose
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curriculum are unhealthy.Educatorsand physicians of extreme reporfincreasingincidents andaggressive

readingis the learningof play skills,which fitrm the foundationof cognitiveskills,"he said He pointedout that in Europech
they read at 5," he said,

on a child."8 unduepressure

fime to Slow Down: Evidencefrom Ahroad

Germanyembarked on a similarplan to n the 1970s into push early learning-turning its kindergartens But for cosnitive achievement. a studv centers 50@ compareds@ith found that "by age ten the Haming-q@bnd played excelledover the others in ilfif'dEiffi[ad in reading of ways.Theyweremore advanced a h<lst and mathematicsand they were better adjusted sociallyand emotionallyin school.They excelledin creativity and intelligence, oral expression,and 'industry.' As a result of this study German kinreturnedto beingplay-based again."e dergartens Finland'sapproachto early educationhasbeen andstands out for its long-term success. muchstudied consistently rank at or Finnishhigh schoc{students for InternationalStunearthe top in the Progtamme (PISA). This test of literacy,math, dent Assessment is givento a sampleof 400,00015-yearand science 90 oldsin 57 of the wealthiestcountriescomprising percentof the world'sGDP.10 high-quality child carefor all. Finlandguarantees Most childrendo not enterchild careuntil agethree, getfinancialsupportif theychoose to stay asmothers strong at homefor that period.Supportis especially in the first year,sothat almostno childrenenterchild carebeforeageone. Child care,generallycalledkindergartenin Finland, extendsuntil age seven,when children enter Thc programs are play-based, with well-,,, first grade. andaides and@ teachers trainecl :=na[-oayprograms areaNoavallaDre, ror o-year-oros, which "placea slightly usuallyin child carecenters, preparationand langreateremphasis on academic guagedevelopment than typical child care."l1This approach laysa strongfounslowbut well-developed dationfor schoolsuccess. Recent researchby Sebastian Suggateof New Zealandt University of Otago found no long-term gainsfrom teaching childrento readat agefive comhisstudybeparedto ageseven.12 Suggate undertook controlled cause "he could not find any quantitative to ascertain studywithin the English-speakingworld were at an advantage whetherlater startingreaders He found only one methodologior disadvantage. cally weak study conductedin 1974,but nothing

sincethat time. Yet peopleregularlyinsistthat early and to a child'slater achievement readingis integrarl therefore,by succcsri. He admitsto being surprised, his own findingsfhaf this is not the case."l3 conductedthree quite different but comSuggate plementarystudies. In the first he re-analyzed data collectedaspart of the 2006PISA exam"and found that bv the ageof 15,therewasno drenin Waldorfschools with 50 beganat ageseven wherereadinginstruction schools whereit beganat agg childrenwho attended five. All took the sametestat age12.The studyconfamily ecotrolled for homeliteracy environments, nomic status, parental education, ethnicity, and gender.He found "no difference"by age12 in the reading fluency and comprehensionof the two groups. Suggate's third, longitudinalstudylookedat reading from first instruction to the endof primaryschool in schoolexperiences and to seewhetherdifferences

Tlrc f^t ffucktrs success...has built a new superhighwaywithout speed Iimits or guardrails.
the primarycurriculumat the two differenttypesof would haveaccounted for the ability of Walschools readinglevelastheir dorf childrento reachthe same by age12.Heconcluded: counterparts state One theoryfor the finding that an earlier beginningdoesnot leadto a later advantage is that the mostimportantearlyfactorsfor for mostchildren, later readingachievement, that and learningexperiences are language gained formal reading without are Because later startersat reading instruction. and are still learningthroughplay,language, with adults,their long-term interactions Instead,these learningis not disadvantaged. preparethe soilwell for later activities then of reading.This research development question, if advantages raises the there aren't to learningto readfrom the ageof five, could to startingteaching therebe disadvantages In otherwords, we to readearlier.... children couldbe putting them off.15 The Down Side of Speeding Up coupledwith The desirefor a fast track to success, andtest-based aecountthe pushfor toughstandards

abilit-v, has built a new superhighwaywithout place for speedlimits or guardrails-a dangerous children. The new core standards.beginning in kindergarten,are the on-ramp.It is worth noting that until recently the term "core standards"was whereit is vital that primarilyusedin manufacturing, like nuts, bolts, and cement are strictly materials uni{orm. the conceotof core standards to . Ratcheting This approachhasalready education. dehumanizes No Left Behind Act. Education in the Child failed view of the humanbeingcanbasedon a mechanical not succeed. well-prepared early eduRather than standards, cators need appropriateguidelinesthey can apply with flexibility.Ratherthan testingnarrowskills,we shouldbroadlv as well as creativitv arethelong-termconsequences ofinapproThe few studies priate early education? in this area show indications of great harm. The HighScope CurriculumComparison Study (PCCS), Preschool famousPerry not as well known as HighScope's may most Study, be the strikingexample. Preschool the long-termbenThe Perry Studydocumented efits of preschoolfor low-incomechildren.Missing from the picture is that not all preschoolsyield In the late 1960s HighScope equallygood results. with 68at-riskchildrenfrom low-inthePCCS, hegan to oneof threeprecomefamiliesrandomlyassigned (L) schoolclasses: a direct instructionprogram(DI), used a scriptandexpected correctanwhereteachers swersfrom the children; (2) a traditional nursery school,where children learned through play and large-groupactivities;and (3) the HighScopeprogram,where childrenlearnedthroughgroup time The latandplaywith a "plan,do, andreview"focus. child-initiated activities.With ter two emphasized supportfrom the staff,the three-and four-year-olds their owninterests. All werefblin the studypursued loweduntil age23. It is important to note that at first the outcomes seemedto be the same for children in all three groups.All showeda lalge increasein IQ scores, initiarlly of 78 to 105.The reseiuchers from an average preschool that "well-implern:ented curricuconcluded of their theoreticalorienfalum models,regardless intellectual on children's and tion, had similareffects performance." In the long term, however, academic "time hasprovedotherwise"l6

the direct inBy age23,when the study concluded, problemsin overall shorved serious structionstudents development: . 477oof the DI students had neededspecial compared to only 60/"of the other education, students, .34o/ohadbeenarrested for a felony offense, compared with9T" of the others; t 27o/o from work, while hadbeensuspended noneof the othershad been; . None of the DI students had marriedand compared with 31% were living with spouses, of the others. . Only 11olo had everdone of the DI students to about43Yo ot volunteerwork, compared the others. The resultsare inappropriate When at-risk children

to schooling that demands too ffiFbeen subjected learning the much too srxrn.We 4rg .r1g[-feg[gtcing uao with such metffiffi

n"+Flffifl#timer;f;dffis
lVhat Have VYeLost?

themedical community: i" td6,pftf- fu\ettratguides First, donoharm.

focuson drillingliteracy andmath Whileschools young few researchers are into children, a skills lost.Creativity is one casualry whatisbeing studying TheTorrance creatiiityt@

Curiosity is another.
millions of times over five decadesin over 50 is a better predictor than IQ of which languages, innovators in a host students will becomesuccessful of professions. When KyungHee Kim at the Collegeof William Torrancescores of almost300,000 & Mary an:alyzed reportedin 2i)10, Newsweek childrenandadults, "she had beensteadilyrising,just found creativityscores like IQ scores, until 1990. Since then,creativityscores incheddcwnward.'Itk very clear, haveeonsistently It is is very significant,'Kim says. and the decrease younger in America-from of children scores the kindergartenthrough sixth grade-for whom the declineis 'mostserious.' "17 is an-qthglEggg&y. SusanEngel, senior Curiosity -#
lecturer in psychclogy and director of the Program in

research at Williams College,designed to Teaching During a series of study curiosity in classrooms. however,she sawso few examplesof school"visits, curicsity children asking questionsand expressing that shehad to call off the study.l8 The lossof curiosityhasprofoundimplicationsfor education.Scienceand math educatorsincreasingly of the needfor i speak a "focus on studentcons

tial learningand curiosityin young children,which math and science in later makesteachingadvanced grades more difficult.

An urgenffitrs"Ttr$s*eJi
I

for Childhoodleganits campaign WhenthelAHiance both in early educationand outside to restore\play

1Edward Zigler and Elizabeth Gilman, "The Legacyof Jean Piaget," chapter 9 of Portraits of Pioneersin Psychology,Yol.3, edited by Gregory A. Kimble and Michael Wertheimer,Washington,DC and Mahwah,NJ: American Associationand LawrenceErlbaum Psychological (1998), pg. 155. Associates 2The Natioual Governors AssociationCenter for Best Practices ald the Council of Chief State School Officers for K-12 releasedthe Common Core State Standards all but 6 states educationil June 2010.By October 201"1 had adoptedthem. Seehttp://lvww.corestandards.org/. 3Walter S. Gilliam, *Pre-K StudentsExpelled at More Than Three Times the Rate of K-1,2 Students,"New Haven, CT: Yale University Office of Public Affairs (May 17,2005);http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=4271. 4 Addirional examplesof aggressionil early childhood classroomscan be found in Crzsisin the Kind,ergartenat www.alliangeforchildhood.or g/publications. 5Matt Burgard, "Into School,Out of Control Nowadays, Eveu the Youngest Students Tirrn to Violence," Hartford Courant (Aprtl 2, 2007 ). 6 SaraBennett and Nancy Kalish, The Cttse A.gatnst Homework,New York: Three Rivers Press(20ffi)" p. 109. ? Burgard, op. cit. I Claudia Wallis, "Does Kindergarten Need Cops?" Time Magazine{Dec. 7, 2003); b ttp ://wlvw.time.corr/timlmaAazinel 1101031 215-556865,00.html?cnn=ves. articlb/0,9171, e Edward Miller and Joan Almcn, Crisis In the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School, College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood (2009), pg. 7. Furtler information on the study can be fouud in "Curriculum Studies and the Traditions of Inquiry: The Scientific Tradition" by Linda Darline-Hammond and Jon Snyder,tnthe Handbook

committedto school,we found other organizations play.Eachwasdoingimportantwork, but eachin its own silo. It wasa perfect picture of parallel play that to rich, socialplay. Once we had not yet advanced beganworking (and playing)together,a movement wasborn. Playbeganto appearmore regularlyon the cultural radarscreen. We knew we had reacheda critical point in this effortwhen theNewYorkTimesreportedin January 20L1that "the movementto restorechildrent play gainsmomentum."Z0 This momentummust be continued and expanded.Educatorsmust join forces pediatrrffi with parents, brirreFs:.rpESan<fenlightenedpolicymakers to turn the tide healthy in favor of a and creativechildhoodfor aLll children. Only concerted action by people from of children\ learning,health, acrossthe disciplines will raisegeneral of thecriawareness andwell-being for childhoodthat sis.It is time to launcha decade play-based earlyeducation. will restoreandpreserve Join us in doing so.21

on Cuwiculum (199), edited by Philip W. of Researeh Jackson;New York: MacMillan, pp.41,-78. 10 http://www,oecd.orgldocumentl tml 00732-L-1*1-1,00.h 60/0,3343pn-2649-201185-397 t1http://www.newamerica.neVblog/earlv-ed-watcbl2008/ how-finland-educates-voungest-children-9029 12 Suggate's researcbhas been publishedin severaljournals a book is in press.Seehttp;//www.i4.psychologie. and uni-w uerzburg.deimitarbeiter/dr:sebastian-p aul-s uggatd. r University of Otago, Jan.3, 2010: -20448.html http://wwwsciencealert.com.au/news12010M0L talbid.The first study hasbeen publishedin the International Journal of EducationalResearch, h ttp #www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ s0883035509000573 rslbid t6http://www.highscope.org/filelResearch/hiAh_scope_ curriculum/Curric-f actsheet.pdf. Seealso httpl/www.highscope.orglC-ontent.asq? Contentld=A1. There is also a video about the study at asp?f ile=lmediall,arrV h ttp ://www.highscope.org/video. Last% 20Diff % 2ffinal% 204309.mov 17 Newsweek,July 10,2010. 1" Othe-creativityhttp ://www.newsweek.corn/2010107/ crisis.html 18 for senior staJf Comments by SusaoEngel at a se,ssion of tle Department of Education, Washington, DC, May23.2O1.1. ie http://wwwbrynmawr. edulbiologyifranklin/ tml Inq uirvBasedScience.h 20 /06lgarden/06plavhtml http:/iwww.nvtimes.coml20l 1101 21 Information onthe?Ql? Summit for Childhood and the decadefor childhood can be found at wwwacei.ors.