This discussion of education is based on the following
assumptions.
1. Democracy
should afford its citizens equality of opportunity.
2. Education,
both historically and actually, is a vehicle – probably the principle vehicle
for democracy to afford equality of opportunity.
3. Financial
status affords middle class and wealthy students material and cultural
advantages that tend to tilt the playing field in their favor.
4. Changes
in the way we educate our children can provide better outcomes for everyone[1]
and at the same time help to level playing field for the socially and
economically disadvantaged. That said, I am going to principally focus on
leveling the playing field. At the end I will make some comments on how this
specifically may help the more materially advantaged classes.
As noted in A Framework for Understanding Poverty people are
poor in more ways than a lack of money. These include deficiencies in emotional
resources, knowledge resources, spiritual resources, support systems, and role
models. In addition, people living in poverty learn hidden rules that help them
survive in poverty but are different than the hidden rules of the middle class
and keep them from moving up the socioeconomic ladder.
I would contend that school can provide these non-financial resources
and provide an environment to learn the hidden rules of the class they aspire
to but only if children start younger and go to school for more hours/day and
more days/year. That would mean children would start school at age three, have
a 9-5 school day, and go at least 200 days per year with no school break longer
than 3 to 4 weeks.
The model for this can be found in KIPP schools. These are publicly funded K-12 charter schools. Their typical school day is 7:30 to
4:00. Because they are publicly funded they operate on the public school
calendar although they offer summer school. Nearly 90% of their students are poor
[2]
but perform academically at or above grade level when compared with
conventional public schools[3].
I would suggest starting this model for preschool, starting the school day
later for health and academic reasons[4],
and extending the school year to avoid summer learning loss[5].
The principle object of these extended hours days and years
is provide an immersion experience in literally an alternative culture from the
culture of poverty so that poor children can successfully move out of poverty
and into the middle class and possibly beyond.
Of course, if the academic quality of those extended hours,
days, and years of schooling is subpar then expanding this time will be a waste
of it. That quality will depend on the quality of the methods, the teachers,
and the curriculum. I know nothing of teaching methods and close to nothing
about teacher standards or curriculum. However, with respect to the latter two
I would like to suggest some parameters and I will do that in my next entry.
[1]
The United States is below average in math and about average in reading and
science compared to 34 OECD countries https://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/PISA-2012-results-US.
[2]
http://www.kipp.org/results/national/#question-1:-who-are-our-students
[3]
http://www.kipp.org/results/national/#question-3:-are-our-students-progressing-and-achieving-academically
[4]
https://www.cdc.gov/features/school-start-times/index.html
[5]
Summer learning loss is the phenomenon that students regress and lose up to a
month of learning after the 10-week summer vacation. This is especially true of
socioeconomically disadvantaged students. https://www.brookings.edu/research/summer-learning-loss-what-is-it-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/
I wholeheartedly agree with your assumptions. Ensuring that children have access to quality prek is also very important. We started a prek program at our charter school in LA for that reason. You should look into the “word gap” research: https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/TheEarlyCatastrophe.pdf. This research underscores the critical importance of intervention and support 0-3 and the necessity of quality prek. As for school age programs, KIPP is a very successful model along with various other programs. I think you hit on a critical point though... the quality of the program must be excellent to deliver the value of a longer school day. Quality program involve wrap around services, laser focus on data and achievement, adaptive instruction, and rich exposure to the arts, sciences, and problem solving in addition to the “tested subjects.” Can’t tell if this will publish my name but it’s nicole.
ReplyDelete