(Washington, DC) – Pre-K Now executive director Libby Doggett issued the following statement in response to "Implementing Policies to Reduce the Likelihood of Preschool Expulsion," released today by the Foundation for Child Development.
During the 2006-07 school year, Pre-K Now regularly observed the morning activities in a public pre-kindergarten in Northern Virginia. At the beginning of the year, Samantha (not her real name) had great difficulties playing with other children and was sometimes actually violent. She didn’t know how to share or take turns and often resorted to hitting, screaming, or throwing things. In these first few months of school, we saw Sam grabbing toys from others, refusing to participate constructively in group activities, and moving from center to center without engaging in learning activities that quickly captured the other children’s attention.
But, later in the year, we observed real changes in Sam. Remarkably, her outbursts and inappropriate behavior were largely under control. By January, most people would have had difficulty picking out the child in the room with serious behavior problems. The source of the improvement was clear: While many teachers might have expelled her, Sam’s pre-k teacher, Mary Trevino (not her real name), along with her assistant teacher, an education/behavior specialist, and a social worker, turned the child around.
The process was not easy, but Ms. Trevino had the skills and resources to ensure that Sam – and every other child in her classroom – had the opportunity to benefit from high-quality pre-k. Ms. Trevino taught, modeled, and reinforced positive behavior for Sam. By partnering with Sam’s mom, Sam learned that caring adults held the same expectations and addressed misbehavior consistently.
Ms. Trevino analyzed the daily schedule so that she could better predict when Sam was most likely to act out. She and her assistant teacher planned to be especially attentive during these times so that they could redirect Sam and avoid problems before they occurred. Ms. Trevino’s supervisors sent in behavioral specialists and additional teacher support. Ultimately, the school system assessed Sam and provided added supports through special education. Expelling Sam was never an option.
We know from both research and anecdotal data that if Sam had been expelled, it likely would have been the first step on a downward trajectory. Perhaps she would have been labeled a “trouble maker” by the system and the community – an identity that sets a troubled course for many children who don’t get the services they need and has enormous costs to children, families, and communities. If expelled, Sam clearly would have entered kindergarten far behind the other children, her unaddressed behavior problems hindering her education and that of her classmates in yet another classroom.
Instead Sam was able to succeed in pre-k – and is now succeeding in kindergarten – because the class was designed for success with:
- an 8-1 teacher- child ratio;
- a highly trained teacher with a bachelor’s degree and training in early childhood education;
- home visits and teacher-parent conferences;
- consultation with and referral to other services when needed;
- strong monitoring and technical assistance from district administrators and specialists; and
- specialized professional development that enabled Ms. Trevino to continually improve and refine her teaching skills.
The most important take-away from this report is that quality in pre-k programs really matters. In high-quality pre-k programs children learn to control their behavior, constructively solve problems using their words, and engage productively in a group setting. Unfortunately, the quality setting found in Ms. Trevino’s class is not the norm. Too many states continue to provide pre-k that is mediocre.
For example, some states don’t regulate the teacher-child ratio – a clear quality issue. In Texas – my home state – some pre-k classes have one teacher for 22 or more four year olds and no assistant which are more than twice the 10:1 ratio nationally recommended by both the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Head Start. With this unacceptable ratio, teachers don’t have time to give children like Sam the individual attention they need to turn their behavior around. Only a small ratio allows for the kind of individual attention that teaches children like Sam new ways to interact with others and fosters a love of learning.
Fortunately, since Dr. Gilliam’s 2005 study reported that an astounding 5,117 three, four, and five year olds are being expelled every year, a number of states – Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Maine – have made major improvements to their quality standards. Several other states, such as Connecticut, Maryland, Illinois, and Colorado, have made major strides to expand their early childhood mental health consultation systems, following Michigan's lead. We know that these improvements are not cheap; as is true for many other things of value, quality programs cost more.
In most states, pre-k is under-funded. In 2005-2006 the average per child spending for K-12 was $5,066. Federal funding per child in Head Start was $7,089. Yet, the per child spending in state-funded pre-k is significantly less, at $3,482. With limited funding, states like Texas pack too many children in a classroom and others don’t provide teachers the supports they need to address problems like Sam’s.
When it comes to children, scrimping on quality has lasting effects; there’s simply no way around it – we pay now or pay later. It is much more cost effective to ensure that programs, teachers, children, and families receive the services and supports they need early on – when problems are more easily corrected and before children are expelled – rather than later on when bad behavior has escalated and is more ingrained.
A successful pre-k experience for one child has ripple effects that impact other students and teachers throughout the rest of the education system. If behavior issues are addressed early and all children enter kindergarten ready to learn and ready for teamwork, imagine how much better our schools would be.
Our children, education system, and communities lose if our policymakers ignore the research and fail to include high quality standards in pre-k legislation and sufficient funding to meet those high standards. Today’s brief is an opportunity to remind state leaders that failure to act on the research is tantamount to failing their state’s children, teachers, schools and families.
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