Legislators Query Need, Effectiveness Of Proposal For All-Day Kindergarten
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
It may be one of the most hotly debated topics of this legislative session - and one that cuts across party lines.
All-day kindergarten.
Is it giving children a much needed head start? Or is it an ineffective educational ruse designed to merely provide taxpayer-subsidized day care? Those are the two camps forming in the Indiana Statehouse, according to Sen. Kent Adams (R-Bremen) and Rep. David Wolkins, (R-Winona Lake).
"I've had almost unanimous agreement from the teachers who've contacted me that they are opposed to it," Wolkins said. "The studies show any beneficial effect from going to all-day kindergarten wears off by the third grade."
He added the issue is not a partisan one, with the proposal receiving support from Republicans in the General Assembly and raising opposition among state Democrats.
"It (support) cuts across party lines," Wolkins said. "(Republican) Superintendent of Education Suellen Reed is strongly supporting it."
Adams, who chairs the Senate's Education Committee, said he doesn't support the proposal for two reasons: effectiveness and cost.
He also stated his opposition to a second proposal advocated by Gov. Frank O'Bannon's administration - moving the cut-off date for children to begin school from the age of five by June 1 to the age of five by September 1. Such a move would allow hundreds of additional students to begin school at an earlier age.
Despite his opposition, his committee approved a measure to push back the cut-off date by a 9-2 vote.
Adams said the cost of the two proposals would be near $400 million a year at a minimum and the positive effects are far from certain. He cited studies done in Missouri and Ohio that show both proposals didn't live up to their billings when implemented in those states.
"In Missouri, they moved back their start date, and found that it set children up for failure right off," he said. "The kids weren't ready and pushing them in too soon established a pattern of failure that could affect them for the rest of their lives."
Adams also cited a 1990 report by Dr. David Elkind of Tufts University to the National Education Association which found little difference between students attending full-day vs. half-day kindergarten, when their achievement was tracked through their entire school career.
"Dr. Elkind said education isn't a race and teaching children at too early an age can cause them harm that can take a lifetime to recover from," he said. "His study reported the measured results showed no significant difference between full-day and half-day kindergarten students."
Adams added a 1997 study by the Ohio Legislative Office for Education found that whatever benefits full-day kindergarten provides dissipate by the end of the second grade.
"You can argue the philosophical point, but you have to look at the costs and whether those costs outweigh the benefits," he said.
Another concern Adams said he has heard from school superintendents is a fear that this proposal will be yet one more unfunded state mandate after a few years of state support.
"I would want the state to fully fund the programs it already mandates - summer school remediation and Prime Time, for example," Adams said. "Do we give the school district all-day kindergarten at $300 million a year and early entry at $90 million a year now, only to have them fund them later?"
The two plans would force many school district to raise property taxes to implement them, Adams added.
"You would have to build additional classrooms and hire additional staff that would have to be paid for by additional property taxes," he said. "Instead of raising property taxes, my thrust has been property tax cuts, income tax cuts, more money for roads and providing sufficient funding for police and fire pension funds." [[In-content Ad]]
It may be one of the most hotly debated topics of this legislative session - and one that cuts across party lines.
All-day kindergarten.
Is it giving children a much needed head start? Or is it an ineffective educational ruse designed to merely provide taxpayer-subsidized day care? Those are the two camps forming in the Indiana Statehouse, according to Sen. Kent Adams (R-Bremen) and Rep. David Wolkins, (R-Winona Lake).
"I've had almost unanimous agreement from the teachers who've contacted me that they are opposed to it," Wolkins said. "The studies show any beneficial effect from going to all-day kindergarten wears off by the third grade."
He added the issue is not a partisan one, with the proposal receiving support from Republicans in the General Assembly and raising opposition among state Democrats.
"It (support) cuts across party lines," Wolkins said. "(Republican) Superintendent of Education Suellen Reed is strongly supporting it."
Adams, who chairs the Senate's Education Committee, said he doesn't support the proposal for two reasons: effectiveness and cost.
He also stated his opposition to a second proposal advocated by Gov. Frank O'Bannon's administration - moving the cut-off date for children to begin school from the age of five by June 1 to the age of five by September 1. Such a move would allow hundreds of additional students to begin school at an earlier age.
Despite his opposition, his committee approved a measure to push back the cut-off date by a 9-2 vote.
Adams said the cost of the two proposals would be near $400 million a year at a minimum and the positive effects are far from certain. He cited studies done in Missouri and Ohio that show both proposals didn't live up to their billings when implemented in those states.
"In Missouri, they moved back their start date, and found that it set children up for failure right off," he said. "The kids weren't ready and pushing them in too soon established a pattern of failure that could affect them for the rest of their lives."
Adams also cited a 1990 report by Dr. David Elkind of Tufts University to the National Education Association which found little difference between students attending full-day vs. half-day kindergarten, when their achievement was tracked through their entire school career.
"Dr. Elkind said education isn't a race and teaching children at too early an age can cause them harm that can take a lifetime to recover from," he said. "His study reported the measured results showed no significant difference between full-day and half-day kindergarten students."
Adams added a 1997 study by the Ohio Legislative Office for Education found that whatever benefits full-day kindergarten provides dissipate by the end of the second grade.
"You can argue the philosophical point, but you have to look at the costs and whether those costs outweigh the benefits," he said.
Another concern Adams said he has heard from school superintendents is a fear that this proposal will be yet one more unfunded state mandate after a few years of state support.
"I would want the state to fully fund the programs it already mandates - summer school remediation and Prime Time, for example," Adams said. "Do we give the school district all-day kindergarten at $300 million a year and early entry at $90 million a year now, only to have them fund them later?"
The two plans would force many school district to raise property taxes to implement them, Adams added.
"You would have to build additional classrooms and hire additional staff that would have to be paid for by additional property taxes," he said. "Instead of raising property taxes, my thrust has been property tax cuts, income tax cuts, more money for roads and providing sufficient funding for police and fire pension funds." [[In-content Ad]]