| Educating a child is starting earlier. For | | | | that stimulate the senses in age-appropriate |
| example, parents are taking their three year | | | | ways. |
| old kids to tutoring programs where they use | | | | |
| flashcards and have homework. Kindergarten | | | | Many exccellent community programs exist to |
| students are doing the work that | | | | help children via mentors who are encouraging |
| first-graders used to do, and middle school | | | | families to engage in activities. |
| children are enrolling in algebra courses a | | | | |
| year or two earlier than ever before. | | | | Other learning programs like Junior Kumon |
| | | | Math and Reading Centers is now offering |
| These trends are happening for several | | | | academic tutoring for children as young as |
| reasons including: | | | | two, and they have gotten 28,000 children |
| | | | enrolled the United States, in less than two |
| 1) Parents are afraid their children will | | | | years since they entered the U.S. Trends |
| fall behind if not pushed; | | | | also indicate that introducing the concepts |
| | | | of math and science in middle school used to |
| 2) There's frustration with schools that have | | | | be called "acceleration" while now it is an |
| failed to gain achievement for disadvantaged | | | | "expectation." One reason is the Trends in |
| students; | | | | International Math and Science Studies survey |
| | | | of 1995. This showed that American students |
| 3) There is competition for college entrance | | | | were ahead in fourth-grade math but dropped |
| and acceptance; and | | | | to the bottom in the 12th grade. |
| | | | |
| 4) There's an overall sense that America is | | | | The Los Angeles Unified School District made |
| losing ground in globally. | | | | passing algebra a graduation requirement. |
| | | | 48,000 ninth-graders took the course in 2004, |
| In fact, futurists like James Canton in his | | | | and 44 percent of them failed. Many went on |
| book entitled "The Extreme Future" said about | | | | to repeat the course several times and kept |
| the top ten trends that will shape the future | | | | on failing until they gave up and dropped out |
| of America - "Quality public education, in | | | | of school. |
| crisis today, will either propel or crash the | | | | |
| future aspirations of the American | | | | On the other hand, a program used in the |
| workforce." | | | | Pittsburgh Public School districts for the |
| | | | middle school curriculum called Connected |
| "Encouraging students to challenge themselves | | | | Math was designed to introduce math concepts |
| and expand their horizons is always a good | | | | in a way that students could apply to real |
| thing," said Sherry Cleary, assistant | | | | life. It has become as controversial as the |
| professor of education at Pitt and director | | | | reading wars and is now known as the math |
| of the University Child Development Center. | | | | wars. Students who take the course for the |
| | | | first time in ninth grade will have to score |
| Psychologist David Elkind published his | | | | at or above grade level. Those who don't will |
| landmark book in the early eighties, | | | | have to take an additional tutorial class |
| entitled, "The Hurried Child." "The pressure | | | | each day. |
| to grow up fast, to achieve early is the very | | | | |
| great in middle-class America. There is no | | | | The fact is that today, twenty percent of |
| room today for the late bloomer" he said. | | | | youngsters are "flunking" kindergarten, and |
| | | | millions of children are medicated daily to |
| Dr. Now Elkind is saying that this phenomenon | | | | make them more "educable" and "manageable" in |
| is more prevalent than it was back in 1981. | | | | school and at home. |
| | | | |
| It is one thing to offer college electives to | | | | The answers may be found in what is going on |
| high school teens, but the younger the | | | | at home as well as at school. If we had more |
| children, the more controversial it is. Most | | | | programs nationwide to support students as |
| child development experts agree that young | | | | they grow up, perhaps the results would speak |
| children learn best in rich play environments | | | | for themselves in future years to come. |