tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post2885617284386978616..comments2024-03-26T04:19:38.862-07:00Comments on kitchen table math, the sequel: Head Start is based on a "whole child" modelCatherine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03347093496361370174noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post-77945237718354197232013-02-21T19:53:21.299-08:002013-02-21T19:53:21.299-08:00The reason to extend the school day, the school ye...The reason to extend the school day, the school year, and the school years is all same reason: that getting "them" -- meaning variously "urban youth", "low SES" kids, and or the kids on the left side of the curve --away from their families is The Goal, not even merely a means to an end.<br /><br />The french revolution never really ended.<br /><br />And the above reason, which cannot be said out loud directly, drives school policy for suburban exurban /middle and upper SeS / right side of the curve kids too, because suggesting that the two populations need different educational practices is racist.<br /><br />Never mind. Headstart hires the single mothers whose kids attend headstart as their day care workers in their program, at least here in the twin cities. So they didn't really take "them" away from their families after all.Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01760659382790453648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post-57777760255135690532013-02-20T14:13:20.824-08:002013-02-20T14:13:20.824-08:00Siegfried Engelmann never passed judgment on the f...<i>Siegfried Engelmann never passed judgment on the families. He taught disadvantaged children to read, write, and do arithmetic, and he didn't presume that he could replace a mother or a father</i><br /><br />Good point, and elaborated on in the fascinating book Engelmann and Bereiter wrote about the project, <i>Teaching Disadvantaged Children in the Preschool</i> (out of print, but easily and cheaply availably from alibris.com or abebooks.com). The Engelmann program did not demand or expect "parent involvement" -- they merely asked for the parents to send the children to the program every day, and encouraged them to take pride in their children's achievements.<br /><br />An interesting consequence in both the Project Follow Through Direct Instruction schools, and in DI implementations in low-SES schools (such as the ones Mary Damer has reported on) is that "parent involvement" greatly increased, without pressure from the school, as the children's achievement soared. <br /><br />Too often, schools put the cart before the horse, in this case positing "Get involved, then your children will learn" when the reverse is more demonstrably true: raise student achievement significantly, and parents will want to be involved in whatever ways are feasible for them.palisadeskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13700503881038569921noreply@blogger.com