Early ChildhoodEarly childhood is the area of education that I will concentrate on and also the one that I am most interested in. I have always been interested to the beginnings of a child’s education. I have also wondered if there are early signs showing whether or not a student will be a good student for the rest of their educational career. This concept of early childhood education has always intrigued me because it is the beginning of a structured school environment. Early childhood years are the best years to learn because children are receiving information at a very fast pace. People often refer to young children’s brains to be somewhat of a sponge, because they soak up lots of information. “The years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the most critical in his or her life to influence learning.” (Baxter, 2007)
“The philosophical foundations of early childhood education were provided by John Amos Comenius, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Its curriculum and methodology were created by the likes of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, and Rudolf Steiner. Most recently, it was scientifically grounded by the research and theories of Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, and Erik Erikson. While there are differences in the approaches of these progenitors of early childhood education, they are overshadowed by one common principle: that early childhood curriculum and practice must be adapted to the maturing needs, abilities, and interests of the child.” (Elkind, 1997) When my daughter was in Kindergarten we were told that they wanted to have her tested for the gifted program and that they feel she should be skipped to the first grade. My husband and I did not feel she was mature enough to advance to the next grade level even though her test scores said she would thrive. As Elkind said , maturity plays a major part in a child’s education. We felt if she was to be moved to a higher grade level with older kids then she may get lost when trying to relate to children who are a year older than which could make her grades suffer. One program that I do feel help[s early childhood education is The Head Start Program. “
In America, the Head Start Program, launched in the 1960s for low-income children, had an unintended consequence. Although it was very effective, the title gave parents the impression that education was a race, and that the earlier you start, the earlier and better you finish. Middle-income parents wanted their preschoolers to have a head start as well. This gave added emphasis to the importance of early childhood education as the answer to improving the educational system.” (Jackson, 2001) This program is to help give kids a head start with their education. This is a very good resource for parents who may not have an education themselves but they see the value in their kids having an education so they want to give them a push in the right direction. Unfortunately ,in
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The Great Education Crisis
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Hudson, John A. 1964. “On the History and Policy Implications” in H.H. Evans, ed., The Social Costs of Low-Income Public High School: The Social Impact of Early-Stage Education . Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. (1993) pp. 29–60 [last review: 2007]
2. (b) The head start program would provide the “right balance between the primary and secondary school education in many families.”
2.1 John H. Kennedy.
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4. (c) The “master plan”
4.1.1 The plan is designed to provide the “master plan” for all high school students in the United States, including high school dropouts. It is a public education plan for all kids, no matter what the level of income. In fact, the Master Plan (or the Master Plan as it is sometimes known) was one of the first educational reforms, which was implemented after the Great Depression in 1937. The system was based on several basic principles:
1. The primary teacher would be on the ground at kindergarten,
2. Teachers should be allowed to teach at any level of education the same level of proficiency as the upper-middle-income and middle-income children. In schools, they must work together with each other in a collaborative way. Teachers of high schools are expected to demonstrate that they are ready and willing to assist working families throughout their school system by providing assistance, and working together to promote fair and equal education.
3. Public education was to be based on what each child should have access to as a human being. The basic ideas underlying the master plan are that children should be able to read and learn at least one language, of a similar vocabulary, without the need for a higher education. If a child wants a teacher with a similar basic education level to the children of upper-middle-income working families, then the master plan would have to be changed to provide a teacher with the same level of proficiency, or that child no longer need a higher education. Teachers can be paid lower rates to be on the floor of an educational institution where they work. The masters plan would not make it any easier for teachers to get a job. Instead of paying low rates for teachers to be on the floor, the education plan would ensure that every kid had the opportunity to go into vocational training (and thus the equivalent of a PhD to be a teacher).
3. The system must also be based on a low-performing school system, where a person must be able to be a good leader by being able to give feedback so that the child can make good decisions. Children who are taught high levels of English could have a chance to live a healthy and fulfilling life. If children are given the opportunity to go to high schools, they could do so so only at special circumstances that are conducive to a strong career