Early childhood education has been the subject of Dale Farran’s research for half a century. As a result of this, her most recent scientific article has made her doubt her own conclusions.
In order to come up with any credible explanations, “it really has needed a lot of soul-searching, a lot of study of the literature.”
In other words, she’s referring to the results of a decade-long research. Tennessee’s prekindergarten programs received 2,990 low-income children who applied for free, public prekindergarten. In this way, the closest thing to a real-world randomized controlled trial — the gold standard for demonstrating causation in scientific research — was created.
All the way through sixth grade, Farran and her co-authors at Vanderbilt University tracked both groups of students. As was to be predicted, children who attended pre-K had greater scores on tests of school readiness at the end of their first year.
However, by the third grade, they had fallen farther behind their peers in the comparison group. They were significantly worse off at the end of sixth grade. As a result, their standardized test results were worse, and they were more likely to be in special education, as well as to be suspended from school. Math, science and reading were all negatively affected in sixth grade, “whereas in third grade we noticed negative impacts on just one of the three state accomplishment exams,” adds Farran. For small breaches in third grade, we saw an impact, but now in sixth grade we’re seeing an effect on both major and minor suspensions.”
That’s exactly what I was going to say. One of the findings of this research was that a statewide public pre-K program taught by certified teachers and located in public schools negatively affected the children in this study.
Farran had no idea what was about to happen. Her displeasure was palpable. However, her research design was particularly powerful, so she couldn’t readily explain away her findings..
“This is still the only randomized controlled study of a statewide pre-K program, and I realize that people get angry about this and don’t want it to be true,” he said.
Why bad news comes at a terrible moment
Getting negative news about public pre-K comes at a poor moment for those who advocate for young children. President Biden’s social program has included federally sponsored universal prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds, and there have been discussions of reviving it from the dormant “Build Back Better” plan. Preschool enrollment has risen steadily in recent years, and it is now free or low-cost in 46 states. Almost seven out of ten 4-year-olds are currently enrolled in some form of educational activity.
Research dating back to the 1970s has fueled this interest. The Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to James Heckman for research that showed long-term returns on investment for properly conceived and managed programs.
Policymakers and scholars have argued for decades that providing story time and block play to poor 4-year-olds increases their chances of becoming high-earning, productive citizens.
In Tennessee, what went awry?
There is no conclusive research. Pre-K research continues to be inconclusive. A working research (not yet peer reviewed) on Boston’s pre-K program will be released in May 2021. Following up with students for years was a common theme in the research, which was of a comparable size and design as Farran’s. Despite the fact that their SAT scores showed no change, this research discovered that preschoolers had better disciplinary records and were far more likely to graduate from high school, take the SATs, and attend college.
Farran argues that a citywide program provides more opportunities for quality control than her statewide research did for quality control. More money was allocated per student in Boston’s program, which served both low- and middle-income children.
So, what exactly went wrong in Tennessee? There are certain notions that Farran has, and they question almost every aspect of how we teach. Teachers’ preparation, program funding, and program location. Even the most basic information, such as the location of the restrooms.
In other words, Farran is revising her own expectations about what defines great pre-K, which are prejudices shared by the whole field.
Do poor children deserve the same education as wealthy children?
A misconception that I hadn’t considered was that underprivileged children need a different kind of preparation than those from more affluent households.
She’s referring to the idea of rehearsing fundamental skills with children. Tracing letters and numbers on worksheets. Only five of the 25 students in the classroom are paying attention to the 10-minute lectures given by the instructor.
As she notes, “higher-income families don’t choose this type of preparedness. …And why would we believe that we need to start training children from lower-income homes earlier?
Farran notes that well-to-do families choose art, dance, music, and nature-based preschool programs. Open-ended inquiries are asked of children, and their answers are considered.
According to Farran, he is not witnessing this in classes where “teachers speak a lot, but they hardly listen to students.” Many states require prekindergarten through fifth grade certification for instructors, but she believes this is a contributing factor. The majority of their instruction is geared at adults.
That teacher certification is an indicator of quality, for example, is another another significant prejudice she’s working to dispel. No correlation between quality and licensing has been shown in three big investigations, the most recent of which was published in 2018.”
the act of inhaling a bubble
Using the same publicly funded Tennessee pre-K classes as those in this work, Farran released a study in 2016 that was based on her findings. It became clear to her that much of the day was spent in transitions. Moving children about the facility is all that is required here.
This is partly an issue with the design. Private preschools, as well as home-based day cares, are often designed with the needs of little children in mind. In addition to the classes, there are restrooms nearby. Also, children are allowed to eat in or near the classroom. There is also a neighboring outdoor play area that is suited for children who are shorter than average.
If these activities are implemented in public schools, the entire day will be more difficult.
“You’ll have to go down the hall if you’re at an older school. Taking your children out, lining them up, and then letting them sit and wait is the only option “Farran claims to speak for the group. “In the cafeteria, it’s exactly the same situation. In the hallways, you’re reminded to keep your hands to yourself, avoid bumping into your neighbor, and blow a bubble in your mouth so you don’t disturb the peace.”
For Farran, the increased challenges with discipline she saw in her most recent research might be explained by this demand for control.
“I believe that youngsters are not developing the ability to regulate their impulses. Because of the amount of external control they’re experiencing in school, they’re developing an almost allergic response to it.”
To put it another way, punishing 4-year-olds for misbehaving is a recipe for disaster because they will come to associate school with being held to a standard that is too high.
Other studies have shown that the regulation of children’s bodies at school might have an unequal racial effect. In other research, it’s been shown that Black students are more often reprimanded in preschool than they are in later grades. Despite the fact that 70% of the children in Farran’s research were white, there was no additional benefit of preschool attendance.
What are the next steps?
COVID-19 exacerbated and emphasized a child care problem in the United States. Child care has been “pushed down” from the public school system, utilizing the instructors and facilities, by progressive lawmakers and supporters for years.
According to Farran, a “mixed-delivery” program that includes sessions for 3- and 4-year-olds is a better approach. Some children are enrolled in Head Start programs, some in nonprofit daycare facilities, and yet others attend regular public schools for their free public preschool education.
As a consequence of Farran’s study, she has concluded that pre-K has been given too much responsibility based on early outcomes from “showcase” experimental projects. A “magic bullet” is often sought for, she explains.
Is it possible to narrow the achievement gap and increase the number of 4-year-olds who go to college? “Whoever imagined that you could offer a disadvantaged family’s 4-year-old with 5 1/2 hours per day, nine months per year of preschool, and close the achievement gap?” she wonders. “Why, exactly? It’s hard to understand why we place so much emphasis on pre-K programs.”
If we just let the kids be kids, we could really achieve better outcomes, she adds.