The surprising things New York’s mayor said about Common Core and 4-year-olds
Who is New York Mayor Bill de Blasio talking to about early childhood education?
De Blasio (D) was on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday morning to talk about, among other things, his program to bring universal pre-kindergarten to families in his city. It wasn’t the plan that was surprising, but what he said about the Common Core State Standards for pre-K and about early childhood education in general.
Here’s what de Blasio said:
“To provide this quality of pre-K to every child takes real work. It takes choosing the right teachers, training them constantly. Look, we are using a Common Core curriculum at the pre-K level. I believe in Common Core . I think the question with Common Core always is are we providing the teacher training and support to actually live up to the quality of the curriculum.
But in the 21st century America, we need a rigorous curriculum. And at the age of 4, kids can learn in a way they can’t learn later. They are particularly receptive to learning. So we have a rigorous curriculum, highly-trained teachers. We are going to keep evaluating it and improving it.
But I can tell you this, the difference between a child who has had full day pre-K with the Common Core curriculum and one who hasn’t, that child in the first instance has such a leg up and a love of learning they go into the rest of their education with.”
Four-year-olds really need “rigorous” curriculum? (Many early childhood education experts don’t agree.)
Four-year-olds really need Common Core curriculum? (Ditto.)
“At the age of 4, kids can learn in a way they can’t learn later.” (The way kids learn best at the age of 4 is through structured play, not rigorous academic standards, experts say.)
Common Core curriculum sparks a love of learning in kids? (In some kids, perhaps, but from where does he get this information?)
“The question with Common Core always is are we providing the teacher training and support to actually live up to the quality of the curriculum.” (There are many, many questions surrounding the Common Core standards, which are not, actually, a curriculum. They are simply standards, around The surprising things New York’s mayor said about Common Core and 4-year-olds - The Washington Post:
