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Theories about the head start program
Theories about the head start program
The use of computers in effective teaching and learning
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Marielle Wilson English 12 1st Hour Mr. Toth Early Childhood Education Early childhood Education has always been a vital part to the nation’s prosperity and achievement. However, many schools started without early childhood teachings. Teaching usually began around the time a child had reached six or seven; about the age of a first or second-grader today (Vinovskis 18). Instruction to early adolescents was not contemplated as crucial for brain development until the 1800s. After the Head Start program, early childhood education spread like wildfire throughout America. In 1840, 40 percent of all the three year olds in Massachusetts alone, were attending school. Yet, the reactions from many states, and the overall populace of the country at the time were still negative and contradicting towards early childhood development and education (Vinovskis 19). In the first half of the twentieth century in the United States, the national average of age for children attending school remained a steady six or seven age range. States continued to challenge the age at which a child must go to school, regardless of lowering the age limit (Lerner 5). It changed by a program called “Head Start". It was an institution that provided preschooling and kindergarten instead of beginning school at the age of six; around the typical first grade. The Head Start program became what is regarded today as the milestone of education in the United States. The government’s first and primary outlet for advocating the importance of education, was the Head Start program. Head Start was also re-launched in 1965 as part of the "War on poverty" (Lerner 5). Preschools and Early childhood development had begun to make changes in terms of social justic... ... middle of paper ... ...etic, or visual, can be quite challenging (Morrow 41). Using just one method of teaching makes it difficult to reach out to the students enough to help them grasp exactly what they are learning. An example of a technological advance, and method of teaching that incorporates all three types of learning, is Music (Runfola 13). There are several different ways to incorporate music in a way that uses more senses than simply listening. Kinesthetic learning is used in music by the playing of the instruments, and using hands to make the sound. Professor Maria Runfola said, “The strumming of a guitar, the air blown into a flute, or ringing of bells, requires a combination of concentration, aptitude, and tenacity”. While music is stimulating to the senses, incorporating images of the musical notes, helps to support students that tend to be visual learners (Runfola 13).
The purpose of this essay is to offer a concise description of the Head Start program, discuss the historical background of the policy, and analyze the economic and political forces that have influenced the development of the program. The essay also seeks to evaluate both the manifest and latent functions of the policy, consider the current debate around Head Start, describe the ideologies and values that have framed the debate around Head Start, and offer recommendations regarding the program.
In the 1980s, child care was back on the national agenda due to the education reform movement (Tejada, 2010). Tejada further disclosed that several states even launched pre-kindergarten programs for disadvantaged children. Why the Need for Universal Preschool Two-thirds of 4-year-old children in the United States attend preschool, as well as 40% of 3-year-olds (Tejada, 2010). Half of those are enrolled in a public program, such as state prekindergarten (preK), Head Start, or special education, and the other half are in a private program (Adams, 2009). Despite such a large enrollment of children in these programs, there is still a handful of children who are missing out on obtaining a head start in obtaining a good quality education.... ...
Vinovskis, Maris. The Birth of Head Start: Preschool Education Policies in the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. Print.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said:“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” Mr. Roosevelt was indicating that education is key to ensuring a positive future for our country. Years have passed since his presidency, and many can argue that America’s educational system has improved, but that still remains to be seen. While it is true that education has gotten more focus in recent years, as highlighted by the “No Child Left Behind Act,” it does not mean that the system is fully developed enough to aid all of America’s children. Now, the average American is just that: average. Children generally receive B’s and C’s, average grades, in school if they are lucky enough to be in a good school system. Literacy rates are lower than they seem, and not enough people are properly motivated to do well in school. Forms of entertainment and parental influence, which also play a large role in the development of children into successful, productive adults, are not where they should be with respects to education. Much more needs to be done to improve the educational system of the entire country. Preschool should be made mandatory to help individuals reach their full potential and achieve what only a minority of today’s society is currently capable of.
Head Start does an adequate job at meeting the needs of children in the manner in which it was originally founded. The Head Start program is not bad and should not be done away with. But, from what I have learned through this study, amendments could be made to increase the longevity of the desired results. In this paper I will discuss the Head Start program. How Head Start has succeeded. The way it attempts to influence children’s behaviors. I will also discuss some of the shortcomings of the Head Start program and ways to make the program more effective.
Sornson, Robert. "Preventing Early School Failure." Preventing Early Learning Failure. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001. 177. Print.
Children’s development, including their brain development, and the differences, both physically and emotionally that, children go through when transitioning into kindergarten. Reviews of different forms have evidence concluding that these programs have short, medium, and long-term benefits that suggest the effects are often greater for more disadvantaged children. “Some of the evidence from model research has produced exciting results in terms of improving educational attainment and earnings and reducing welfare dependency and crime.” (Currie, 2001). “To the point where cost-benefit analysis of these programs suggests they would eventually pay for themselves in terms of cost-savings to the government if it produced even a quarter of the long-term gains of model programs.” (Currie, 2001). This is one of the reasons the government has been pouring an abundance of money into these programs, in fact, Obama just recently announced a one billion dollar investment in early childhood education. “Obama said that less than one-third of 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool and blamed the high cost of these programs for essentially shutting off access to poorer infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. “ (Obama announces $1 billion investment, 2015, p. 1). “He said studies repeatedly show that children who are educated early in life are more likely to
Curriculum is the organized framework that explains the content that children are to learn, the processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals, what teachers do to help children achieve these goals and the context in which teaching and learning occur. The best curriculum for early childhood teacher is developmentally appropriate curriculum that allows teachers to set-up an effective learning environment for children.
Early Head Start help the child to adjust to this environment. The teachers are train to deal with
A significant portion of the educational downfall and disparity that afflicts our country is embedded in children’s experiences prior to kindergarten (Barnett, 2014). Children perform better on assessments of reading and math skills upon beginning kindergarten when they have previously attended a center or school-based preschool program in the year before school entry. These children continue to excel on assessments when skills are evaluated in the
Unfortunately families that struggle with lower income have a tendency to struggle in other areas. The children of these lower income families are entering elementary level school lacking in reading, math, and general knowledge, compared to their peers that are from a family with higher levels of income. The struggles these children undergo do not stop at the academic standings they also affect the child’s social status. The suffering social status includes the child to potential fail in high school, increase unintended pregnancy, have higher criminal activity, and receive lower wages. Fortunately there has been an increase in number of publicly funded preschools, that benefit those children that are trailing behind their peers due to
I found it significant that it seems as though everyone involved faces a big challenge when it comes to preschool. First, the article mentioned how those who really need high quality preschool are at-risk children; however, in most circumstances, they do not have access to these programs. In my opinion, every child deserves to have access to a high-quality education. This begins with high-quality preschool programs. The article explained high-quality preschool programs need to be child-centered and play-based because that is how children learn foundational skills in the most developmentally appropriate
The Head Start Center at Martin Luther King school is a great way to learn about the three domains of development of cognitive, phsycal, social and emotional. The observation took place towards the end of the school year. This observation consisted of observing an early childhood boy on April twenty-two, twenty fourteen, named Anth, with the age of 4 years, 2 months. The Head Start Center had a classroom that consisted of 16 children, between the ages of three to five years old, and a ratio of eight to one. I conducted my observation for a period of about half an hour in room 52 at Martin Luther King Jr Elementary School. My first impression of the classroom was a good surprise. The classroom reflects a great environment for a place for preschoolers to develop. It is an area where the children, are in a soothing room full of brilliant colors, and a childproof area where it is safe to leave a three to five year old for the day.
I would like to work in the independent Charter schools. Charter schools mission is to make sure their children make it to college. They have high standards for academics as well as character, the environment is highly structured, the focus on accountability, as well as use data-driven instructions. Classroom sizes are smaller, the ratio is 1:16, states allow typical classrooms in Ohio to hold 1:20(Squire 2014). It speaks to the fact that as a teaching professional you have such great expectation of your students. As an Elementary Teacher, I get to lay the foundation down for these children to graduate, and go on to college. The classrooms are
Early education includes all children from birth to age eight. Opting to provide excellent early education comes with many opportunity costs. Opportunity costs are losing potential gains when choosing one option versus the other. Anything other than giving children excellent early education comes with an opportunity cost that does not look forward to maximizing the future of next generations. It is important to include education early on in a child’s life to help secure the positive effects this will have on their development into adulthood. Though the opportunity cost of poor early education is great, the external benefits are greater with positive results. These benefits lead to a lasting success of academic and employment success