k-prep
D is now halfway through his two week "k-prep" session. He seems to be enjoying it, and has made a couple of friends. The teachers send little notes home each day saying what he’s done that day; their only concern seems to be that he’s not eating much of the hot lunch. (what a surprise) If they’re doing any academics, it’s with a very light touch, which is fine with me.
The Post had an article on Friday about k-prep. It was pretty much a fluff piece about how wonderful the program is, touting how it pays for itself by reducing the number of kids who are held back. I’m a bit dubious about that claim. The statistic the article cites is that 85.7 percent of participants at the pilot sites were unconditionally promoted to first grade, versus just 80 percent of non-participants. First, I was sort of startled at how low those numbers are — how many kids are being retained in general. Second, I’m pretty sure that this wasn’t a random assignment. While I know they did outreach to try to recruit kids who hadn’t had a preschool experience, I’m sure there’s a selection bias issue — parents who send their kids to k-prep are probably more likely to be involved with school, to monitor homework, etc.
August 15th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
I’m curious about what they are teaching, if not academics (and lunch eating)?
August 15th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Sitting, taking turns, raising hands, getting into the pattern of the days. And letting the kids get to know each other.
There’s some academics — making different shapes, writing their names. (D’s been writing his name with a random mix of lower case and capital letters, and they’re pushing him to do it the standard way.)