Preschool Improve Learning? Lessons from Georgia and Oklahoma by Lindsey Burke

EdJuly-August 2009 ucationA publication ofMatters the Association of American Educators Foundation

Does Universal Preschool Improve Learning? Lessons from Georgia and Oklahoma by Lindsey Burke

ith the support of President Supporters also claim that increasing the experience of states that have offered Obama, the 111th Congress access to government-funded preschool universal preschool for a substantial pe- Wwill likely consider propos- will yield long-term economic benefits. riod of time. als to expand federal subsidies for early President Obama has argued that $1 spent Three studies of small-scale preschool childhood programs. Four such proposals on preschool can yield $10 in long-term programs—the Perry Preschool Project, aim to establish taxpayer-funded univer- economic benefits by reducing crime and the Chicago Child-Parent Centers Pro- sal preschool. reliance on welfare, while boosting grad- gram, and the Abecedarian Preschool Proponents of universal preschool uation and employment rates. Project—provide the basis for many of contend that offering all students the op- In addition to the claimed academic the benefits claimed by advocates. (For portunity to attend publicly funded pre- and economic benefits, preschool advo- more on this, visit www.heritage.org) school programs would result in lasting cates predict that offering universal pre- While supporters of universal preschool improvement in students’ test scores and school will yield other societal benefits, focus on the benefits of the small-scale long-term economic and societal benefits, such as increased family stability. Sena- preschool studies, empirical evidence such as reduced dependence on govern- tor Schumer suggested that universal pre- from other preschool programs has indi- ment programs. school will result in a reduction in teen cated that the potential benefits of univer- A primary argument made in favor of pregnancy, smoking, and unemployment. sal preschool may be overstated. In fact, universal preschool is that it will allow researchers studying empirical evidence young children to enter kindergarten bet Examining the Evidence on from preschool programs have reported ter prepared to learn, bolstering subse- Universal Preschool that “fade-out” is a common problem, quent academic achievement. Proponents How do supporters of universal pre- with academic benefits dissipating by the stress that early education creates a strong school support their extraordinary third grade. Students enrolled in programs foundation for reading and supports cog- claims? Generally, preschool advocates such as Head Start often experience fade- nitive and social development. Universal point to empirical evidence of small-scale out. preschool advocacy groups contend that preschool programs. However, a closer In addition to the cautionary research attending preschool increases the like- look at these studies casts doubt on the on fade-out, researchers also point to cer- lihood of earning a high school degree promised long-term benefits from gov- tain negative behavioral effects resulting and reduces the likelihood of repeating a ernment-sponsored preschool. Moreover, from preschool attendance, including a grade or being placed in a special educa- universal preschool advocates choose to negative impact on classroom behavior tion class. ignore more relevant evidence, such as and elevated expulsion rates in pre-kin

Promoting New Standards of Professionalism & Educational Enrichment dergarten. In fact, preschoolers in state- the state first implemented universal pre- point overall gain in reading. funded programs are expelled at three school (see chart below). In Oklahoma, scores have declined times the rate of K-12 students nationally, since the state began offering universal with those children enrolled in full-day The Empirical Evidence preschool in 1998. Oklahoma was the programs being more likely to be expelled There is little evidence that the state- only state to see a significant score de- than children in half-day programs. funded universal preschool program increase on the NAEP fourth-grade reading A study by researchers at Stanford Uni- stituted in Georgia is providing lasting assessment and is the only state to see its versity and the University of California benefits to students, despite substantial reading scores decline over the 15 years showed negative socialization in the areas financial investments. While research from 1992 though 2007 out of all of the of externalizing behaviors, interpersonal shows some gains for disadvantaged chil- states that participated in the fourth-grade skills, and self-control as a result of even dren, the positive impact of preschool has reading test in 1992. short periods of time spent in preschool been less pronounced among the rest of centers. Increased expulsion rates and the population. Conclusion negative behavioral outcomes among A Georgetown University study of the In his speech on education in March, preschool children have been linked to effect of state-funded universal preschool President Obama declared that “Secretary teacher depression and job stress. in Oklahoma on kindergarten readiness Duncan will use only one test when decid- found positive effects on letter recogni- ing what ideas to support with your pre- Georgia and Oklahoma tion and smaller positive effects on math cious tax dollars: It’s not whether an idea Georgia and Oklahoma—the two states and spelling capacity for children entering is liberal or conservative, but whether it that have offered the most extensive uni- kindergarten. However, a prior evaluation works.” The experiences in Georgia and versal preschool programs--provide in- of the state preschool program in Tulsa, Oklahoma suggest that a federal program formative case studies. Oklahoma, showed statistically signifi- to encourage states to offer universal pre- More than a decade after offering stu- cant gains in language skills for black and school would be costly and ineffective in dents universal preschool, neither Okla- Hispanic children but not white children. delivering the significant long-term ben- homa nor Georgia has shown impressive The experiences in Georgia suggest efits that its supporters promise. progress in students’ academic achieve- that universal preschool has not corre- Lindsey M. Burke is a research assistant in the ment, as measured by the National Assess sponded with dramatic improvement in Domestic Policy Studies Department at The ment of Educational Progress. In fact, students’ academic achievement. After Heritage Foundation. in Oklahoma, fourth-grade reading test years of universal preschool, fourth-grad- scores have declined since 1998 when ers in Georgia have seen only a seven-

State-Funded Preschool Programs Fail to Boost Reading Test Scores State-funded preschool programs in Georgia and Oklahoma have yielded little or no improvement in fourth- grade reading scores when compared to the national average. Fourth-grade reading scores are a first indication of the effects of state-funded preschool. GEORGIA OKLAHOMA 225 225

‘98 Year state began ‘98 universal 220 220 preschool program ‘92 National Average National Average

215 215

Georgia Oklahoma

210 210

205 205 1992 1994 1996 1997 2000 2002 2003 2005 2007 1992 1994 1996 1997 2000 2002 2003 2005 2007

Source: “State Comparisons,” National Assessment of Educational Progress, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/statecomp/sortingSingleYear.asp (April 13, 2009). Chart 1 • B 2272 • heritage.org

Education Matters July-August 2009 Signs of the Times

Mixed Reviews The public respects teachers, but not teacher unions Debate ran high within Barack Obama’s transition team over whether the next Secretary of Education should be a tradi- tionalist in sync with the national teacher unions or a reformer who will help break the hold those unions have on Democratic Writing Better Party policy. President Obama’s choice Savvy Teachers Find New Way to Combat Students’ Text Messaging of Chicago School Superintendent Arne Duncan is seen as a move to bridge those Habits while Gearing Up for State Exams competing camps. It’s an uphill battle that teachers face every year: how to keep their students While 64 percent of adults said being a on track with their writing, especially in time for their upcoming state exams. teacher is one of the most important jobs Shorthand text messaging habits like “Wat r u doin 2nite?” and the go-to in our country today, two-thirds of U.S. “TTYL” have only helped to further the problem of shorthand writing. Teachers voters (66 percent) say the teacher unions everywhere are seeing these abbreviated words, terms, and contractions used —the National Education Association within their students’ formal writing assignments. and the American Federation of Teachers The traditional writing process, which involves drafting, revising, and editing, —are more interested in protecting their often becomes too much busy work in today’s world of instant-communicators. members’ jobs than in the quality of edu- As students want to have their papers done as quickly as possible, they resort cation, according to a recent Rasmussen to these familiar and comfortable shortcuts. How are teachers going to combat Reports national telephone survey. their shorthand texting habits and get them prepared for state exams? Eighty percent of adults surveyed said Savvy teachers across the nation have found a way to not only prepare their their teachers were at least somewhat im- children for the exams but also cut down the time it takes to get students back portant in shaping the direction of their into their school routine after a break. Many have turned to the School Edition lives. However, only 23 percent of voters of MY Access!, a web-based computer program created by Vantage Learning say educational quality comes first for the and currently used by over one million students in classrooms nationwide. unions. MY Access! gives teachers and students immediate feedback, enabling stu- Sixty-six percent (66 percent) of vot- dents to constantly edit and thus improve their essays. It also lets them write ers believe the Secretary of Education 10-20 times faster than by hand, improving their typing skills as well as their should be an advocate for students rather writing skills. Teachers can not only receive immediate feedback on students’ than teachers, but 19 percent say teachers key strengths as well as areas in need of improvement, but also prepare indi- should be the secretary’s priority. Fifteen vidualized lessons depending on student’s specific shortcomings or challeng- percent aren’t sure. es. For example, MY Access! School Edition has proven success for students in Alhambra, California, where writing scores went from 20%-70% passing on Source—Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, their state standard STAR exams. publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

Classroom Management as well as for those who are already seasoned Sound Theory and Effective Practice teachers, but have had little, if any, coursework in Educators need a balance between disci- discipline. It presents several sound frameworks pline theory and its practice in the classroom. readers can use to evaluate six tried-and-true This is especially important in today’s educa- discipline models. Tauber explores a number of tional accountability. In addition, teachers need relevant topics, some controversial, as well as to select, learn, and implement a discipline how to handle problem behaviors. A chapter de- model that best reflects how they feel students scribes “A through Z” discipline strategies that should be treated. can be immediately put into use. Classroom Management by Dr. Robert Tau- Published by Greenwood Publications, West- ber is written for those who are new to teaching port, CT, www.greenwood.com.

July-August 2009 Education Matters The reading Comprehension Dilemma A Simple Solution By Dolores G. Hiskes

ost schools today claim to teach phonics, and initial re- Unfortunately, the word is not “bananas.” sults seem to indicate that they are doing an admirable When students are trained to guess and/or substitute words, Mjob. First- and second-grade reading scores soar. they are putting meaning into, rather than extracting meaning But subsequent comprehension issues are rampant, and from, the story. They are confined within the boundaries of their by fourth grade, reading ability begins a downhill slide. This current vocabularies and thoughts, interpreting things only from phenomena is so widespread educators have termed it “The within their own shallow perspectives. Even misreading only Fourth Grade Slump.” Why such dismal results when phonics one or two words on a page can change the entire meaning of is taught? the story. Taking a closer look, we find that the phonics in most reading The New York Times had an article on June 3, 1999 about programs is hit-and-miss at best, and the practice reading is only how epidemic numbers of pharmacists are misreading prescrip- 50 percent decodable at most, thus setting in motion an unfortu- tions, frequently confusing such words as chlorpromazine (an nate chain of events. antipsychotic) with chlorpropramine (lowers blood sugar), with In first and second grades, the stories are simple, with pictures sometimes fatal results. And the makers of Celebrex (for arthri- on every page offering clues to meaning. Students are frequently tis) took out full-page ads in journals cautioning doctors to stop given beginning and ending letters of a word which help them be confusing their product with Celexa (an antidepressant). even better guessers. They are also encouraged to use sentence context clues to further determine the meaning of a word, or find Differences a word that seems to have a similar meaning. Clearly, a myriad of different problems can arise resulting Knowing beginning and ending letters will help you become a from a misunderstanding or misapplication of what “phonics” better guesser. And if there were picture clues, you would be an really is. even better guesser. But by third or fourth grade, the stories are Most of today’s phonics reading programs are a form of im- more complex, and there are fewer picture clues. And the more plicit phonics. Implicit phonics moves from the whole to the complex the reading, the more frequent and wild the guessing. smallest parts. Letters and words are taught together. Words are Thus—the fourth-grade slump! first learned as a whole, and then broken down. Colors are fre- To illustrate, try reading this Russian phrase that’s only 50 quently the first thing taught. percent decodable: These programs have appealing descriptions such as “Bal- anced Reading Program,” “Embedded Phonics,” “Integrated chocolate bunnies Language Arts,” etc. but alas! The content belies the titles. Like (Hmmm. . . seven letters. Could it be “caramel, Cinderella’s sisters trying on the glass slipper, the shoe simply or maybe “peanuts”?) will not fit. They are not explicit phonics. Now try reading it again, with beginning and ending letter Explicit phonics moves from the smallest parts to the whole. clues: Letter sounds are learned first, blended into syllables, and then choc olate bunnies built into words. (Ah! I know. It must be “bananas.” That begins with Decodable reading practice should also be an integral part of “b” and ends with “s” and has seven letters. It makes this process until reading is firmly established. Just because a sense as well.) child knows the phonetic code does not mean he is ready to read complex and subtle literature any more than a beginning piano

Education Matters July-August 2009 The reading Comprehension Dilemma

student is ready to play a lovely sonata just because she knows As a district reading teacher wrote: the notes! Now read this phrase once more, this time using explicit pho- “Explicit phonics does not teach comprehension, but it un- nics and completely decodable text: locks the secrets of sound/symbol relationships, allowing comprehension to become the focus. Students, now able to chocolate b u n n i e s read words, can meet reading at its most vital level—they (Hey, it’s chocolate bunnies!) can read for meaning!” Only by knowing all of the letter sounds can this, or any text, Explicit phonics is the indispensable key to fluent and ac- ever be accurately read. As Mark Twain said, “The difference curate reading with excellent comprehension. Learning how to between right word and almost right word is the difference be- read logically also develops clear and precise thinking skills that tween lightning and the lightning bug.” spill over into other disciplines. Math frequently improves with- Remedy out tutoring, and critical thinking in general sharpens. Fortunately this situation can be easily and inexpensively We live in uncertain times, and discretionary spending is for remedied without changing current classroom reading pro- many of us almost nonexistent. Fortunately, with just a few free grams. With minimum adjustments and little time and effort, or inexpensive enhancements to your current reading program, any reading program can be enhanced to produce truly gratify- you, too, can experience the unique joy and fulfillment that re- ing results. sults from seeing 100 percent happy faces and starry eyes—all For example, one first-grade public school teacher in Cali- busy reading! fornia supplements her regular reading program with a simple Dolores G. Hiskes is a reading consultant and author. explicit phonics text and all of her first-graders read in only She has taught reading for over 30 years, and devel- three months. She then has a literature evening for parents, and oped unique teaching methods. She is the author of all thirty-two students, including ELL and dyslexic, get up on the best-selling Phonics Pathways. Dolores has a free the stage and read selections from William Bennett’s Book of quarterly newsletter available at www.dorbooks.com, Virtues. which also features many free downloadable teaching aids. www.dorbooks.com; [email protected]

July-August 2009 Education Matters Real reform How about an apolitical reform strategy for student success? By Dave Saba

sitioning themselves as the student advo- tive strategy attributed to Grover Norquist cate through a comprehensive strategy to of Americans for Tax Reform. He believed push for smaller class sizes, more spend- that systemic change was like a crowded ing on education in general, and higher airport. To land at that airport your plane salaries for teachers. These have the ap- had to be circling in a holding pattern pearance of advocating for students when above. All the planes would eventually they really benefit the adults. A state land, but you didn’t really know which group will work at the state level toward one would be next. But if you weren’t in these goals, often with the advice and ad- the pattern, you most certainly wouldn’t ditional resources of a national group. get to land. He made sure that numerous t has been incredibly difficult to gain Meanwhile, education reform groups tax break bills were introduced in every momentum for the systemic change operate in a single silo with national legislative session so that one or more Inecessary for success in all of Ameri- leadership and maybe a state group that would get approved each year. Applying ca’s schools. True change requires a com- is advocating for a single item in the re- this strategy to education policy will en- prehensive strategy that focuses on the form agenda. Each state represents a win sure that some changes are implemented many variables that affect student perfor- or lose scenario for each group. But each each year in a larger number of states. As mance. While many individual programs silo really only impacts a small number more reforms are implemented, more data are working toward this goal, those orga- of students so it is too easy to margin- nizations working alone will not produce alize that group when compared to the The politics of education the education our students deserve and entire system. Reaching a small number require in order to be competitive in the of students has not, and will not, induce overshadows the merits of world market. systemic change to provide better op- The politics of education overshad- portunities for all students. The position education change in America. ows the merits of education change in from the defenders of the status quo is America. The two camps have become that each education reform does not ad- will be available to demonstrate the suc- so entrenched that many politicians de- dress the larger need of all students so we cess of these programs to new states. termine which side they need to be on by should continue to stay with the current Research by Matt Ladner and Dan Lips who supports or fights against any given and implement their strategy. on the education agenda implemented by program. While conservatives usually fo- To overcome the status quo and have Governor Jeb Bush in Florida provides cus on working toward education reform, more true reforms become law, state further evidence of how a Norquist-style that reform is perceived as principally re- leaders and others advocating for change approach could benefit education reform. volving around school choice. As Andy cannot focus on only one part of the spec- The staggering improvements in closing Rotherham opined in a recent blog, con- trum of improvements that could have a the achievement gap in Florida during servatives are seen as “reflexively hostile significant positive impact on America’s Bush’s time as governor were brought to public schools.” students. The legislative and policy focus about by increasing the number of charter On the other side, there are powerful must be to champion all strategies that schools, increasing the number of alterna- groups that want to maintain the status will enable student success. tive teacher certification routes, and using quo. They have been very effective in po- This approach is similar to the legisla- research-based reading programs. Bush’s

Education Matters July-August 2009 plan did not focus on one element but cre- Support and Retention ated an atmosphere of systemic change Career Ladders: create a and the results demonstrate the potential career ladder based on results success of this strategy. —not based on inputs. Here are the critical elements of a stu- Professional Organizations: dent success strategy that can increase provide the ability for teachers student achievement on standardized tests to join a professional organiza- and improve graduation rates: tion of their choice for the sup- 1. Student Experience - teacher quality, port they need as opposed to being time on task and curriculum forced to join a labor union. . School Environment . Accountability and Administration Time on Task Longer school year: KIPP students All of these elements are intercon- are in class for 197 days a year. Create nected. Quality teachers without enough longer school year for failing schools or time on task for students will not succeed. at least eliminate meetings and functions A longer school year with lousy teachers that take teachers out of the classroom. will not deliver success. Keeping students in a school setting that is not right Curriculum for them will lead to drop-outs. Creating Real Math: ensure all students get ba- charter schools and opening up enrollment sic math skills before high school / ensure Differentiate scoring: highlight the in private schools without enough quality high school math is not “dumbed down.” difference between NAEP and State Test teachers will lead to failure. Precise stu- Research-based reading instruction: scores to look for indications of “racing dent achievement data with a weak cur- if you can’t read, you can’t compete in a to the bottom” by lowering standards to riculum or poor instructional quality will world market. falsely show progress. not raise test scores. And the list goes on. End Social promotion: ensure all stu- Based on the elements that are known Administration dents have the basics before advancing to to improve student success at Knowledge Latitude: allow entire school districts the next grade. Is Power Program (KIPP) schools and to become home rule school districts, giv- Match School Setting to the Stu- in Florida, what specific areas of focus ing them the freedom to operate as a char- dent: special needs, foster children, low should the student success agenda target? ter school. income, military members, tax credits, Flexibility: allow teachers to “opt out” public school open enrollment. Teaching Strategies of one-size-fits-all collective bargaining for Student Success contracts. Charter Schools Alternatives: promote alternative prin- Lift the cap: use waiting lists and lot- Recruitment Policies cipal certification to create better talent in teries as a strong reason to increase the True Alternative Certification: en- the administrative ranks. number of charters in the state. sure that programs are available to pro- Provide full funding: give public char- vide rigorous yet efficient methods for If we all care about student success, it ter schools the same funding as traditional getting new teachers in the classroom. is time to take charge, evolve beyond the public schools. Differentiated Pay: ensure that these old ways of thinking, and create a strate- opportunities are available for both high gy for true systemic change in America’s needs subject areas and for teaching in Virtual Schools schools. Lift any student caps: don’t limit the high needs school districts. number of students. Dave Saba is presi- Increase use for online recovery pro- Preparation dent of American Accountability: using the Louisiana grams: allow community-based organi- Board of Certifica- model, determine the student achieve- zations to help provide access to allow tion and Teacher Ex- ment realized by teachers from each students to finish high school through cellence (ABCTE). preparation program in the state includ- credit recovery programs online. He has earned rec- ing alternative certification programs and ognition nationwide Accountability as a tireless advo- hold those programs accountable for per- cate for finding cre- formance. Data Quality Campaign: each state should follow the Data Quality Cam- ative solutions for Core Subject Expertise: ensure your teacher shortages. Dave is a Naval Academy elementary teachers have proven knowl- paign’s guidelines that include student graduate who served as a helicopter pilot in edge in research-based reading instruc- identifier and teacher identifier, and can the Navy for eight years and was awarded both tion and improved math expertise. Ensure link teacher to students to determine per- the Battle E and Navy Achievement Medals. secondary teachers know their subjects. formance.

July-August 2009 Education Matters Presorted Standard Education Matters is a publication of US Postage Paid the Association of American Educators #400 Foundation (AAEF) Laguna Niguel, CA 27405 Puerta Real, Suite 230 Mission Viejo, CA 92691-6388 www.aaeteachers.org; (800) 704-7799 E-mail: [email protected] Gary Beckner, Managing Editor Kelley Prause, Associate Editor & Researcher Diane Meyer, Editorial Assistant Bobette Craycraft, Editorial Assistant

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