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Friday, July 19, 2013

The Effects of Early Learning — Whole Child Education

The Effects of Early Learning — Whole Child Education:

Dianna Minor

The Effects of Early Learning

We have come to a pivotal point in education. The effects of early learning have consistently shown that children who do not have a strong start will continue to lag behind and encounter major barriers in the latter grades. Data from early grades have been powerful predictors of achievement and outcomes. Therefore, strong foundational skills in reading, math, and writing are fundamental for successes in high school, college, and in the workplace.
"Empirical evidence shows the difficulty of catching students up in the middle and high school. Several studies have explored the importance of preparation prior to eighth grade for students to have a reasonable chance of meeting college readiness benchmarks by the end of high school." (ACT Research and Policy, College and Career Readiness: The Importance of Early Learning (PDF), page 2). According to ACT, only 10 percent of students who are off track by 8th grade have a chance of being college and career-ready by 12th grade (and only 3 percent in mathematics). This shows the importance of preparing students in the early grades with a well-defined curriculum. This curriculum should include a well-designed reading and mathematics instruction. Reading should consist of students being able to decode words and understand the words they read. In addition, students should be able to understand the relationship between letters and sounds and develop basic comprehension skills from conversation and prior background knowledge. This development takes time which makes it harder to close large gaps in the upper grades, which is why it is so crucial to make sure 

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