January 21, 2007
Pros and cons of full-day kindergarten Source: Goldwater report
The Cons
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS: Full-day kindergarten can have meaningful short-term effects, but the positive effects routinely disappear after children leave the program. This phenomenon is called "fade out."
Source: Goldwater Institute report on full-day kindergarten.
NOT NECESSARY: For mainstream children, there is little evidence formal preschool and kindergarten are necessary for later academic achievement.
LATER TESTS REMAIN FLAT: Fourth-grade reading, math, and science scores have remained flat over the decades despite the long-term historical expansion of preschool and kindergarten attendance.
Source: Nevada Policy Research Institute
PROBLEM IS MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOLS: "The problem isn't in early childhood education. It is in our middle and high schools. American fourth-graders are "A" students in international comparisons, dropping to "C" students by the 8th grade, and "D" students in the 12th grade. The longer American students are in the public school system, the worse they compare to other countries."
Source: Joe Enge, Carson City School District trustee and conservative education activist.
The Pros
INCREASED READINESS: Full-day kindergarten contributes to increased school readiness, leads to higher academic achievement, improves attendance, benefits children socially and emotionally, and decreases the costs of remediation.
Source: WestEd study
HELPS ESL CHILDREN: Full-day kindergarten especially helps children whose parents do not speak English as a first language at home. Non English-speaking students need a full year of full-day kindergarten to help learn English and the social skills necessary to begin first grade.
Source: Washoe County School District elementary principals
CLOSES MINORITY ACHIEVEMENT GAP: Full-day kindergarten increases achievement and closes the achievement gap for minority students. Sixty percent of Hispanic students in full-day classes met established reading benchmarks, as compared to 48 percent of Hispanic students in half-day classes.
Source: Montgomery County School District in Maryland
LESS ABSENTEEISM: Students who go to full-day kindergarten miss less school time in later grades, which leads to more learning time.
Source: West Ed study
