Listen to thisSara Miller is an assistant professor at Longwood University in Farmville. She is co-coordinator of the elementary and middle school education programs.
Why have so many children been left behind? That should be the central question as Congress debates reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – formerly known as No Child Left Behind. The intent of the law was to ensure that all students were proficient readers by 2014, but it fell short of this goal. Experts point to many reasons why – lack of funding, focus on high-stakes testing, among others – but there is a simpler explanation: lack of access to early childhood education.
There is one key data point that educators reference all the time – the percentage of children reading on grade level by third grade. Why is this so important? Because reading at grade level by third grade has shown to be not only a significant predictor of high school performance, but also of graduation and college attendance.
Ask any kindergarten teacher who has worked with disadvantaged children – kids from homes and communities with limited resources – and the answer is clear: The reason they are left behind is they never had a chance to begin with. By the time many of these children entered formal schooling, they were so far behind their more advantaged peers that the goal of proficient reading by third grade seemed unattainable. When children enter elementary school unable to state their names, use a pencil, or know how to hold a book, they need a tremendous amount of language and literacy exposure to catch up with their peers.
I have had the opportunity to work with many disadvantaged students. Seeing children enter kindergarten unsure of the difference between letters and numbers or how one would use them, it becomes painfully clear that children do not start out on equal footing. This is especially true in rural areas throughout the country. In contrast, some children walk into elementary school speaking complex sentences, writing a lot of words, and surrounded by books at home. These children have the requisite skills to make it to grade-level reading in third grade – but for many of their peers, the mountain has already become too steep. They were behind before they ever walked in the door.
Early childhood education is a fundamental resource that needs to be strengthened if we want all children to be proficiently reading by third grade.
These problems are acute all across Southside Virginia. Often, families in rural areas like these find there are limited options for high-quality day care and preschool – options that expose children to music, art, active social experiences and structured literacy activities. This lack of access to and choices for early learning opportunities force families to make incredibly difficult choices and, in too many cases, settle with less than ideal child care options.
This has to stop. We must assist families in the very early years of children’s development, because it becomes increasingly difficult to remediate an early lack of language and literacy. But what does that look like?
A firm commitment must be made for quality preschool for families of young children. As President Obama said in the State of the Union address, the commitment needs to make an impact on more than just children at the margins – we should serve students from all economic and social backgrounds.
In rural settings like Southside and Southwest Virginia, the most economically depressed regions of an otherwise affluent state, community-based organizations and institutions are well poised to serve as the touchpoint for high-quality early childhood education. Longwood University in Farmville – the town that serves as a hub for six surrounding counties – has the potential to serve this function, and indeed planning has already begun to offer high-quality affordable early child care to members of the community. Serving as a teaching college since its inception in 1839, Longwood draws on extensive experience training educators. The university has strong ties to other educational organizations and can serve as a model for nationwide change.
If the revised ESEA is to have a chance of being successful, it must address student readiness for school and high-quality early learning opportunities. It is of paramount importance that federal, state and local districts understand and support access and choices for parents of young children.
Quality early childhood education cannot continue to be a luxury for families who can afford it – all children deserve rich early educational experiences. Every one of us must advocate for other people’s children as if they were our own – this is the only way to make the American dream truly an option for all Americans. If we are to leave no child behind, we must ensure that all children get to the starting line.
Posted in Opinion, Commentary,
Sunday, May 10, 2015
