Showing posts with label New York Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Times. Show all posts

Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers

Thought-provoking NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage


"Good early education can impart skills that last a lifetime — patience, discipline, manners, perseverance."

"Are children who do well on kindergarten tests destined to do better in life, based on who they are? Or are their teacher and classmates changing them?"

"Class size — which was the impetus of Project Star — evidently played some role. Classes with 13 to 17 students did better than classes with 22 to 25."

"Peers also seem to matter. In classes with a somewhat higher average socioeconomic status, all the students tended to do a little better."

"But neither of these factors came close to explaining the variation in class performance. So another cause seemed to be the explanation: teachers. Some are highly effective. Some are not. And the differences can affect students for years to come."



Windsor Research Kindergarten Committee


committee for parents who are researching different kindergarten/elementary school programs after Windsor




Windsor Kindergarten Readiness Evaluation and Individual Plan

teachers evaluate pre-kindergarten students (4-year-olds who will enter kindergarten in one year) for kindergarten readiness using research-based assessments, then identify and work on important skills with each child to ensure s/he will succeed in kindergarten

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Can dramatic play teach self-control?

I have been reading the very recently published NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children. I just made it through the chapter discussing self-control in preschool children and the implementation of Tools of the Mind. Current studies indicate that self-regulation skills predict academic achievement more reliably than I.Q. tests. The program aims to increase cognitive self-control through complex dramatic play.

I first read about this in this New York Times article, which well summarizes the new findings. It is something I am currently reflecting on. We've already started implementing some of these ideas (see previous blog entry on Doctor imaginative play).

Sean, Sahil, and I are further researching the Tools of the Mind program  to see what it provides to our curriculum at Windsor.

If you're interested in learning more, please read the article linked above.

-SS