While the 2009-2010 school year rapidly comes to an end it might seem rather odd that we’ve elected to focus this month’s “Research Topic of the Month” on school readiness.  But, the fact is we know that 100s of thousands of five year-old children will be entering school as early as July in some states, which isn’t really that far away.  So, we thought we’d present some highlights from the work from the 2005 Getting Ready: National School Indicators Initiative Report.

What is the National School Readiness Initiative?
Too many children enter kindergarten with physical, social, emotional and cognitive limitations that could have been minimized or eliminated through early attention to child and family needs. Ongoing research confirms that children’s readiness for school is multifaceted, encompassing the whole range of physical, social, emotional, language, and cognitive skills that children need to thrive. This multidimensional view of school readiness set the context for a three-year, 17 state initiative supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Kauffman Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

The National School Readiness Indicators Initiative: Making Progress for Young Children was a multi-state initiative that developed sets of indicators at the state level to track results for children from birth through age 8. The goal was for states to use the school readiness indicators to inform public policy decisions and trackprogress in meeting key goals for young children.

The attention to tracking state-level outcomes for the youngest children was a unique focus of the Initiative’s work. State level data are not always available from federal statistical data systems and states often do not organize available data to look specif-ically at the needs of young children and their families. The task of participating states was to develop a comprehensive set of school readiness indicators from birth through third grade. Research shows that children who are not performing proficiently in reading by the end of third grade are at very high risk for poor long-term outcomes, such as dropping out of school, teen pregnancy and juvenile crime.

Objectives

1. To create a set of measurable indicators related to and defining school readiness that can be tracked regularly over time at the state and local levels.
2. To have states and local governments adopt this indicators-based definition of school readiness, fill in the gaps in data availability, track data over time and report findings to their citizens.
3. To stimulate policy, program and other actions to improve the ability of all children to read at grade level by the end of third grade.

Participating States
The National School Readiness Indicators Initiative: Making Progress for Young Children involved teams from 17 states, including: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. Over the course of the Initiative, 17 state teams worked to increase their capacity to obtain and use data, to develop effective communications strategies and to inform a school readiness policy agenda.

The lessons learned from the 17 states are a starting point for other states as they develop state and local school readiness indicator systems.

This report shares the core set of common indicators and the lessons learned from the collective work of the participating states. The goal of the 17 state Initiative was achieved when states produced state-level reports on the set of school readiness indicators selected by their state team and released the reports to highlight key issues affecting young children in their states. Equally important, the states agreed on a core set of common indicators that had emerged from their state work. It is hoped that this rich list of critical measures—based on hard research and state experiences—will serve as a framework to focus more attention on the needs of the youngest children and their families.

Why is School Readiness Important?

Today we know more than ever before about how young children develop and about how to best support early learning.

Ready or not?
The first five years of life are critical to a child’s lifelong development. Young childrens earliest experiences and environments set the stage for future development and success in school and life. Early experiences actually influence brain development, establishing the neural connections that provide the foundation for language, reasoning, problem solving, social skills, behavior and emotional health.

Families and communities play critical roles in helping children get ready for school. Children from families that are economically secure and have healthy relationships are more likely to succeed in school. Infants and young children thrive when parents and families are able to surround them with love and support and opportunities to learn and explore their world. Communities are vibrant when they provide social sup-port for parents, learning opportunities for children, and services for families in need.

Schools can improve the readiness of young children by making connections with local child care providers and preschools and by creating policies that ensure smooth transitions to kindergarten. Children entering kindergarten vary in their early experi-ences, skills, knowledge, language, culture and family background. Schools must be ready to address the diverse needs of the children and families in their community and be committed to the success of every child.

We know what works to support early learning and improve school readiness.
Children will not enter school ready to learn unless families, schools and communities provide the environments and experiences that support the physical, social, emotional, language, literacy, and cognitive development of infants, toddlers and preschool children. Efforts to improve school readiness are most effective when they embrace the rich cultural and language backgrounds of families and children. Today we know more than ever before about how young children develop and about how to best support early learning. The strongest effects of high quality early childhood programs are found with at-risk children—children from homes with the fewest resources and under social and economic stress.

State policymakers play a critical role in allocating resources to support the school readiness of young children. Increasingly, state policymakers are asking for results-based accountability in making their funding decisions. While policymakers may recognize the importance of early learning and school readiness, they also need meas-urable indicators that enable them to track progress. The school readiness indicators that are included in this report were selected because they have the power to inform state policy action on behalf of young children. They emphasize the importance of physical health, economic well-being, child development and supports for families.

We can’t wait. Success in school begins before a child ever enters a classroom.
Studies show that at least half of the educational achievement gaps between poor and non-poor children already exist at kindergarten entry. Children from low-income families are more likely to start school with limited language skills, health problems, and social and emotional problems that interfere with learning. The larger the gap at school entry, the harder it is to close. If we want all children to read proficiently by fourth grade—and to grow into healthy teens and productive adults—then we must make wise investments in the early years.

The Ready Child Equation

A child’s readiness for school is made up of multiple components and shaped by numerous factors. Improving school readiness, therefore, must address children’s development of skills and behaviors as well as the environments in which they spend their time.

Early childhood leaders at the state and national level agree that efforts to improve school readiness must address three interrelated components:

• Children’s readiness for school.
• School’s readiness for children.
• The capacity of families and communities to provide developmental opportunities for their young children.

The Five Domains of School Readiness
There is consensus, based upon a wealth of research, that a child’s readiness for school should be measured and addressed across five distinct but connected domains:

• Physical Well-Being and Motor Development.
• Social and Emotional Development.
• Approaches to Learning.
• Language Development.
• Cognition and General Knowledge.

While separate and distinct, these domains interact with and reinforce each other. The need for children to develop across all five domains is supported by kindergarten teachers. They agree that physical well-being, social development, and curiosity are very important for kindergarten readiness. In addition, teachers want kindergartners to be able to communicate needs, wants, and thoughts and to be enthusiastic and curious when approaching new activities. Teachers also place significant importance on skills such as the ability to follow directions, not being disruptive in class, and being sensitive to other children’s feelings.

Toward a Core Set of School Readiness Indicators
When the School Readiness Indicators Initiative was created, it was hoped that the work of the 17 states would result in a core set of common indicators that could be used as a starting point for other states interested in monitoring school readiness. The intent was to reach a point at which a majority of the nation’s states would choose to adopt a common set of indicators that could serve as a national framework for promoting policies that ensure school readiness and school success.

The core indicators and emerging indicators presented are a result of a synthesis of the 17 states’ individual work. This core set of school readiness indicators can be a useful tool to guide policies, programs and investments in young children and families. The School Readiness Indicators Initiative supported 17 state teams as they developed a set of indicators to track and assess progress in supporting the school readiness of young children in their state.

States identified and developed indicators based on the research and science of early childhood development, advice and resources from experts across the country, and peer-to-peer learning during national meetings. The school readiness indicators are being used to measure and track progress towards achieving school readiness and improving the lives of infants and young children.

The individual state products are posted on the School Readiness Indicators Initiative web site at www.GettingReady.org.

“Getting Ready:  National School Readiness Indicators Report”. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. 04/26/2010 http://www.gettingready.org/matriarch

We encourage you to checkout the entire report at:  http://www.gettingready.org

Then, share with us what your school is doing to ensure that those 5 year-old children entering it’s doors this for the next school year have a better chance of academic success.

Impact Evaluation of Academic Instruction For After-School Programs

Key Findings:

• There was a positive impact on math achievement for students offered one year of the math program. Two years of the math program resulted in no difference between those offered and those not offered the math program.
• There was no impact on reading comprehension achievement for students offered one year of the reading program. Two years of the reading program resulted in less gains in reading achievement for those offered relative to those not offered the reading program.

Background/Research Questions:

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, established in 1999, is a state-administered grant program to provide opportunities for academic enrichment to meet state and local student academic achievement standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics. This Title IV, Part B program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is funded at $1 billion in FY08 and targets high poverty schools with priority given to schools in need of improvement. Thus, an evaluation of Harcourt’s Mathletics and Success For All’s Adventure Island – two academic programs designed for the afterschool setting — provides appropriate information for the program.

Building off of a 2005 national evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program in which grantees were found to offer predominantly homework help that did not produce academic impacts, this study tests the efficacy of two structured and intensive academic programs designed for the after-school setting.

• What is the effectiveness of offering one year of the academic program (reading or math)? Does program implementation and the one-year impact improve in a second year of operation?
• What is the effectiveness of offering two years of the academic program (reading or math)?
• What is the association between receiving the academic program (reading or math) for two consecutive years and math achievement?

Design:

The evaluation consists of two parallel studies at the elementary school level (25 programs for each study, one testing the math program—Harcourt Math—and one testing the reading program—Success For All). The evaluation includes initially 1000 students who were randomly assigned to receive treatment and 1000 to receive the typical support (e.g., general help in a variety of subjects). A subset of the sites continued the program for a second year in which students were randomly assigned a second time to receive one year of treatment in the first year of program operation; to receive one year of treatment in the second year of program operation; to two years of services; and to zero years of the academic program.

Duration: 5 years (October 1, 2003 – September 30, 2008)

Current Status: The first report was released in June 2008 and the second report was released in September 2009 (see http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20084021/).

“Impact Evaluation of Academic Instruction For After-School Programs”. US Department of Education, Institute for Education Statistics. 04/19/2010 <http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/other_afterschool.asp>.

TELL US WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH YOUR SCHOOL’S AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM…

Post your response by answering the following questions:

• What type of activities is your school offering students during your after school program?
• What positive results in student academic achievement have been made?
• Why do you think your program is or is not effective?