Prime Time for Education :: essays research papers

Prime Time for EducationIt would be a wonderful world if we could give our children a better future. wherefore not start by filling their little minds with a handful of education at an early age? In Arizona it has been a contentious subject on whether to fund full daytime kindergarten. In my research on the subject and the experience I have had with my own children full day kindergarten is all around a wonderful idea. There are benefits for children, parents and teachers. Benjamin Franklin once said, An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.First let us discuss the benefits for children. Students have the potential to experience their greatest academic growth in kindergarten. In full day kindergarten research shows greater progress in literacy, math, social skills, and general learning skills. It is the year to format their attitudes toward learning. Research analyzing 23 studies of full day kindergarten indicated that overall, students who attend full day kindergartens manifest significantly greater achievement than students who attend half day kindergarten. As stated here, academically it is an excellent idea. Another benefit is for the lower-income families to enroll children in a higher pure tone early education program that might otherwise be affordable in the private market. In 1997, the Minneapolis school district began testing kindergartners. Those studies found that umteen students from low-income families began school not knowing the names of letters, how to count from one to 20, and some could not even recognize colors and shapes. The testing showed a significant falling out between students of color and their white classmates. Since the Minneapolis School district started offering full day kindergarten they have seen an overwhelming difference in the learning of the low-income, African-American, American Indians, and Latinos. For example, the good turn of letter sounds acquired by full day students was 30% higher than their half day peers (Pugmire, 2002). Looking at these studies and knowing we have many low-income and diverse races in the Mesa School District there is a wonderful benefit to support full day kindergarten. For those students that need to a greater extent time and support, giving it to them in the front end, will save a great deal of remediation and less money in the back end. Finally some benefits for our teachers include more time to spend with students individually and in small groups (Full Day Kindergarten, n.d.), more time to communicate with parents, and more time to assess students and individualize instruction to their postulate and interests (Full Day Kindergarten, n.