Missing from the Headlines
By Goldwater Institute: Arwynn Mattix (01/30/07)
All-day Kindergartners miss the mark - Under the direction of Governor Napolitano, Arizona has begun to phase in full-day kindergarten.
While Napolitano refers to all-day kindergarten as a “prudent step,” a new RAND Corporation report shows it’s likely just the opposite:
Our analyses reinforce the findings of earlier studies that suggest that full-day kindergarten programs may not enhance achievement in the long term. Furthermore, our study raises the possibility that full-day kindergarten programs may actually be detrimental to mathematics performance and nonacademic readiness skills.
In plain English, kids in all-day kindergarten programs have less self-control, poorer interpersonal skills, and more negative attitudes toward learning as they get older than children who participate in half-day programs. By fifth-grade, their academic achievement in math is demonstrably worse than their peers.
The RAND report also concludes “it is unknown whether the apparent lack of enduring benefits merits the costs associated with their implementation.” Under Napolitano’s School Readiness plan, Arizonans could spend up to $210 million on all-day kindergarten.
Rather than continue to spend on a program that won’t enhance achievement, lawmakers should focus on improving elementary and secondary education by expanding the reforms that have already been proven to work in Arizona. Full-day kindergarten may be popular with lawmakers, but it may not be the best policy for kids.
Arwynn Mattix is a policy analyst at the Goldwater Institute.
http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/aboutus/ArticleView.aspx?id=1380
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