Early childhood education, from preschool to kindergarten, is a critical time. Of this fact, the research is almost completely conclusive. Ample evidence supports preschool as being one of the predicating factors of a child's later academic success. Unfortunately, not all children have equal access to preschool and pre-kindergarten programs. As Bridges (n.d.) also points out, research on preschool's efficacy in helping students reach higher academic achievement later in life is spurious and not necessarily valid. Amid all the "exaggerated claims about the effects of preschool," what emerges as fact and what is fallacy (Bridges, n.d., p. 195)? This review of literature, however small, attempts to answer this question by focusing on situational and contextual variables that impact preschool effectiveness.
Although early research on the efficacy of preschool was wrought with problems related to internal and external validity, Bridges (n.d.) claims that later studies offered more sensible research designs and methods. These newer studies avoided the problems associated with poor generalizability and focused on larger sample sizes, more diverse populations, and more longitudinal research. One of the largest of these studies was the Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CDC) research, which proved net aggregate gains in terms of educational advancement for most students. Although preschool does not benefit all children, all the time, preschool does seem to improve academic achievement outcomes and other markers of success. Moreover, these markers of success are visible and sustainable over time. Many of the students participating in the CDC study, for example, were followed until the time of graduation. Programs like Head Start also reveal promising results, especially because they revealed what preschool can do for otherwise disadvantaged youth. As with the CDC successes, Head Start successes are directly linked with home visits and parental involvement.
One of the prevailing variables in the literature is parental involvement. Parental involvement is positively correlated with the effectiveness of the preschool program, and parental involvement is a factor in long-term child success. As Bridges (n.d.) points out, parental involvement is often lacking from standard preschool programs, which is why many of them are not as effective as their proponents claim. Therefore, one of the trends emerging in new research related to preschool is that for it to be effective, preschool has to be done right. What constitutes "right" or best practices...
Pre-School What Are the Benefits of Having Children Attend Pre-School Prior to Kindergarten? Books This report covers the benefit of sending children to pre-school before kindergarten. Literature review is used to explore the research existing in this field. It will help us to understand what effect pre-school has on children. Such programs are also discussed in the paper which is conducting training for preschoolers for their development. This paper not only covers
They predict age and gender variations relate to bullying concerns. Of the 25 cartoons implemented in the study, two depict characters with different shades of skin color where skin color appeared to be an issue. One cartoon relating to sexual orientation was not used in several countries. Smith et al. report Olweus to assert bullying to be characterized by the following three criteria: 1. It is aggressive behavior or intentional
Preschool and Kindergarten Success The Influence of Preschool Participation on Educational Outcomes in Kindergarten Increasingly, young children in the U.S. are attending and participating in preschool programs. Parents as well as others perceive preschool educational opportunities as facilitating later positive educational outcomes for children. The research conducted within this study was focused on determining the degree to which preschool participation is associated with the attainment of successful educational outcomes for children
Nature of the ProblemPurpose of the ProjectBackground and Significance of the Problem Brain Development Specific Activities to engage students Data-Driven Instruction Community Component of Education Research QuestionsDefinition of TermsMethodology and Procedures Discussion & ImplicationsConclusions & Application ntroduction The goal of present-day educational reformers is to produce students with "higher-order skills" who are able to think independently about the unfamiliar problems they will encounter in the information age, who have become "problem solvers" and have "learned how to learn,
Education Class Size vs. School Vouchers on the Achievement of Minority Students The continuous achievement gap between African-American students and their white peers is a major problem in American education. The gap in fourth-grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) diminished in the 1970s, but since the early 1980s it has remained unchanged. Evidence from many studies suggests that African-American students may benefit more than other students from improvement in
School Culture on School Safety Many studies have been done on safety in schools. Likewise, many studies have been done on the culture of various schools. Unfortunately, there has not been significant research on a link between the two. This is not to say that these kinds of studies have not been done, but rather that there has not been enough of them. Many of the studies that have been
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