Dear Ms. Crain:
Thank you for your comment - I appreciate your willingness to engage on this important issue. However, I'm afraid your response misses the fact that I provided references to a large number of studies in peer-reviewed publications from experts who have studied the fact that there just isn't any lasting benefit of All Day K that can be found consistently after 3rd grade.
I believe you're referring to Danielle C. Kreassig, whose literature review I cited as just one of my references because it contains a large number of citations for published studies on the topic of whether or not there are lasting benefits from FDK over HDK. (Her underlying dissertation, while no doubt a fascinating read, is irrelevant to this conversation.)
I included citations, references and links to published academic sources in order to have an informed and thoughtful debate on the topic. So I would encourage you to share the sources that you've found. I think we would all be better informed for it.
I do agree that Common Core is the crux of the problem and we need to question these standards. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for setting high standards in education for our children! But the Common Core standards were developed by large corporations and the academics they selected/hired, then passed on to the National Governors Association and Chief State Schools Officers (read administrators) for dissemination to the states, who in their desperate hunger for the accompanying funds, gobbled them up. These facts are not in dispute by any credible source I could find.
The curricula created to accommodate these standards is radically new and untested. A variety of experts have criticized this process and the underlying science (or lack there of) behind it. They've said this amounts to a shot in the dark - could work. Might not. Who knows really? That's because it's never been tried and there is scant science behind it showing it will work. This article is a good reference: http://www.kdp.org/publications/pdf/record/winter11/RW11_Tienken.pdf
Our kids most definitely deserve better than this. I urge Barrington parents to do the calm and rational thing and vote no on all day kindergarten. The Superintendent agrees we need more time to figure things out - let's give him that. And meanwhile, let's really take a close, hard look at Common Core, the curriculum supporting it and the testing that will make it so incredibly onerous. Indiana just voted to suspend Common Core implementation statewide for one year - a prudent move.
If you won't listen to the science, at least listen to the Hoosiers!
Sincerely,
Tad Segal
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