Our Nation’s Educational Foundation Must Be Built On Rock, Not Sand
“The foolish man builds upon sand while the wise man builds upon rock,” the ancient wisdom tells us. In other words, if you want to build something that will last, it needs a firm foundation. That’s just as true in education as it is in architecture. For a child to be successful in learning, he or she must learn the fundamentals early, because everything else depends on that. Unfortunately, a recent survey indicates that many children are not getting those fundamentals, and it is hampering their ability to learn at the next level.
A survey of 518 kindergarten teachers from across the United States asked if the kids in their classes were prepared for school, and nearly two-thirds (65.6%) said that children are “only somewhat prepared” or are “not at all prepared.” How are they not prepared? According to these teachers, the children are weakest academically (compared to what the teachers think the kids should know) in their knowledge of the alphabet and phonics. In fact, two-thirds of the teachers said that the majority of children do not know their alphabet when they enter kindergarten. The teachers said that the kids are somewhat better prepared in knowing numbers, but even so almost a third of the children were not able to recite numbers in order to 10.
What’s the solution? Obviously more parental involvement is key. Everyone knows that children are most likely learn when their parents read to them and with them, encourage them academically, and offer good educational role models. But 95% of these teachers also say that preschool/pre-k attendance is “beneficial,” and 75% classify it as “very beneficial.” What’s more, they think having preschool / pre-k classroom technology (like those offered by Hatch) is just as important. Seventy-seven percent (77 percent) said technology was “very useful” or “useful” in in preparing kids for kindergarten, specifically in the areas of engagement, helping children learn the ABC’s, educational games, number recognition, and interactive learning.
Study after study has shown that if a child does not do well in kindergarten, that child will probably not do well in elementary school, fall farther behind in middle school, and likely drop out before finishing high school. And the foundation for success in kindergarten is laid in those preschool/pre-k classrooms. We believe, and so do a majority of these kindergarten teachers, that using Hatch technology with research-based tools in those classrooms will be invaluable in developing the literacy and math skills needed to prepare kids for what comes next.
What we’re talking about here is the ability of children to do the academic work required to achieve their goals in life, and our nation’s kindergarten teachers are telling us that many of the children they see are not prepared to do that work at the most basic level. This issue has to be addressed, and soon. We cannot afford to build our nation’s educational foundation on sand. The stakes are too high.
Do you think these statistics accurately portray the picture of early learning? What do you think is the key to children being better prepared for what’s next?
Dr. Dale McManis
Lilla Dale McManis, Ph.D. is the Research Director for Hatch, where she researches technology products for early childhood. Dale holds a B.S. in Child Development and a M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Georgia. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Florida focusing on learning and cognition in poverty children. She then worked for the Massachusetts Departments of Education and Public Health as Evaluator, then Co-Director of the Office of Statistics and Evaluation. Dale joined the University of Texas faculty in 2001, working on research projects in the State Center for Early Childhood Development in the Children’s Learning Institute. She oversaw projects for school readiness, such as the state School Readiness Certification System. Since 2008, Dr. McManis works with Hatch Product Development in the design and evaluation of educational technology for early learners.
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I am a strong believer that technology not only makes the learning process much more fun, but it also creates allows a more hands-on experience for kids! If you are interested in other educational products for kids, I would check out our educational apps!
If these statistics are accurate, that””””s a little scary. Kids need to be prepared to learn from an early age, if they hit kindergarten not knowing the alphabet or how to count to 10, they””””re just going to fall behind in all the schoolwork that is to come in the years ahead. They need a solid foundation.