Preschool in an Era of Diversity

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Preschool in an Era of Diversity

• Evelyn K. Moore
• President
• NBCDI
• December 15, 2003

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Perry Preschool Project/High Scope

• Ypsilanti, Michigan
• 123 children at ages 3 and 4 were randomly
  divided into a group who received a high-quality,
  active learning preschool program and a group who
  receive no preschool program.

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High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Major Findings
at Age 27
Source High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
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High/Scope Perry Preschool StudyPublic
Costs/Benefits/Participant
Source High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
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High/Scope Perry Preschool Implications

• Empower Children---encouraging them to initiate
  and carry out their own learning activities and
  make independent decisions.
• Empower Parents bringing them into full
  partnership with teachers in supporting their
  childrens development.
• Empower Teachers providing them with systematic
  inservice curriculum training, supportive
  curriculum supervision, and observational tools
  to assess childrens development.

Source High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
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Math Reading Scores of First-Time
Kindergartners, Fall 1998
Source U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood
Longitudnal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99.
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Reading Achievement for African American Fourth
Graders

• 735,000 African American 4th graders.
• 36 or 264,600 reading at the basic level
  compared to 71 or 2.4 million white 4th graders.

SourceNations Report Card. National Center of
Educational Statistics, 2000. Single Grade of
Enrollment and High School Graduation Status for
People 3 Years Old and Over, by Age, Sex, Race
and Hispanic Origin October 2000. U.S. Census
Bureau.
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Reading Achievement for African American Fourth
Graders

• 735,000 African American 4th graders.
• 64 or 471,000 African American 4th graders are
  not reading at a basic level.

SourceNations Report Card. National Center of
Educational Statistics, 2000. Single Grade of
Enrollment and High School Graduation Status for
People 3 Years Old and Over, by Age, Sex, Race
and Hispanic Origin October 2000. U.S. Census
Bureau.
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Early Literacy Development

• Love to Read
• An early literacy public education engagement
• campaign designed to help parents and
• caregivers of young children understand the
• important role they play in childrens
• development.

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Causes for the Gap

• A lack of language and a language rich home
  environment---Russ Whitehurst
• White children from professional families speak
  1,116 different words per hour as compared to 525
  words spoken by children from welfare
  families.Catherine Snow

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Causes for the Gap

• Climate in the home surrounding oral language
  developmentDorothy Strickland
• The climate in the home must be warm and
  rewarding. In safe supportive environments of
  home, young language users are rewarded for
  their attempts rather than scolded for their
  mistakes.

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Causes for the Gap

• Cultural ConnectionsDrs. Oscar Barbarin and Wade
  Boykin
• It is essential to understand the culture and
  context of the children we seek to teach.
• The lack of synergy between the learning that
  takes place at home and the teaching that takes
  place at school is the predominant factor
  affecting literacy achievement in young Black
  children.

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Parental Involvement

• We need policies that focus on helping parents
  understand that their child rearing practices can
  have a direct result on achievement.
• Quality parenting education can transform the
  discouraging picture of Black children falling
  behind to a picture of success and achievement.

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PEP Curriculum Modules
Provides the foundation to increase parents
knowledge of child development while building
their self-confidence and empowering them to
become their childrens advocates.
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PEP Curriculum Modules

• Gives parents a cultural context that helps them
  retain and use what they learn most effectively
  while building self-esteem, motivation, and pride
  in their heritage.

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PEP Curriculum Modules

• Helps parents develop goal-directed behavior and
  make concrete plans for education and work so
  they can gain the stability needed to
  successfully raise their families.

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PEP Curriculum Modules

• To inform and reinforce in parents a sense of
  pride in themselves, their community and their
  history.

For more information or to order PEP visit
www.nbcdi.org or call 1800-556-2234
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3. Professional Development
Source U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Educational Statistics, Higher
Education General Information Survey
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Total of Degrees conferred 1999-2000
Source U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Educational Statistics, Higher
Education General Information Survey