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Scant
Proof That Preschool Education
Improves Student Achievement Yet Mass. Politicians Want to Spend, Spend, Spend Massachusetts News
April 29--Massachusetts leaders want to spend nearly $80 million on early childhood education, yet there is almost no evidence that it helps—and much evidence that it may be harmful. Those who back universal preschool ignore evidence that such schooling is inappropriate for many four-year olds "and may even be harmful to their development," said Edward Zigler, a Yale University psychologist who favors government day-care but warns against using the schools to provide it. "There is simply no evidence that universal preschool will benefit children," said Darcy Ann Olson, a child-care expert at the Cato Institute. "In fact, many child development experts have argued that formal schooling can actually be harmful to young children." Research shows that many pre-school children aren’t psychologically ready to enter into a competitive environment, Olsen told Massachusetts News. And if they fail there, she said, it may damage their self-esteem, which may produce further psychological and developmental problems later. Olsen further noted that some studies show that removing a child from his mother at a pre-school age may also be harmful psychologically. The maternal bond is harmed, she said. But Massachusetts House Speaker Thomas Finneran (D-Mattapan) wants to spend. He wants to add $75 million to the state education budget for early-childhood education programs. State Education Commissioner David Driscoll endorsed the plan, and Governor Paul Cellucci has proposed a similar expansion. Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee released
its $20.77 billion budget this week. It includes $71 million for early-childhood
education.
Under Finneran’s plan, here’s where the tax dollars go:
There are few dissenters on Beacon Hill from the idea that Massachusetts needs to expand early-childhood education. Even John Silber, former chairman of the State Board of Education—who was always willing to buck the conventional wisdom in education—agrees. He proposed the abolition of twelfth grade of high school if the money saved could be used for pre-kindergarten education. Little Education In Finneran’s Plan Yet much of Finneran’s plan doesn’t concern "education" at all. But it is a way of delivering more social services through the school system. But advocates say that the programs result in both academic and social benefits. The New York State Board of Regents claims that every dollar invested in early education saves $7 by reducing special education costs and raising graduation rates. California lawmakers say that quality preschool programs are needed to provide a highly educated work force. A review of early childhood programs by W. Steven Barnett, a professor of education at Rutgers University, found that some of them produce large short-term gains in IQ and school achievement, reducing special education placement and raising grade retention graduation rates. The expansion of preschool is also attractive because it provides a form of public day-care for young children with working parents. The Programs Don’t Work The most commonly cited examples of successful preschool programs are Head Start and the Perry Preschool Project. However, said Olsen, these programs evinced only short-term benefits that "fade out" over time. "Head Start programs have had mixed short-term results," she said, and "there is no evidence of Head Start’s having a positive, lasting impact on children." Moreover, the modest gains of childhood education programs have been limited to those programs that were focused on acutely disadvantaged children, she said. In view of the lack of evidence for the academic or social benefits of early childhood education, it would be preferable to leave the choice to parents with a tax cut or credit, Nina Shokraii-Rees, education policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, told Massachusetts News. Increasing taxes to provide extended preschool is unfair to stay-at-home mothers, she said. The Massachusetts Legislature will debate the proposed
preschool education spending in the coming weeks and a final budget for
the state will be approved by both the House and the Senate. The new fiscal
year begins July 1.
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