WAB: Pre-K Program Needed or Effective?
School Board Meeting: Statement by Mrs. Braden, “Pre K (Pre Kindergarten) has proven to improve graduation rates of students.” This is a program that is being pushed by the governor and has already leaped from about two million dollars to over twenty million and it isn’t even completely in place yet. Estimates reach into the hundred million dollar a year range when fully in place. Here’s the problem and even the teachers union has to admit that there is no comprehensive evidence that supports the idea that those who attend Pre K have any greater or less probability of successfully completing high school. In fact some studies released just recently determined that children in daycare do worse than those who stay home with their mother. A study by the CATO Institute revealed that our children test at about the same level, with or without pre-kindergarten, as children from other developed countries. The problem is that by the time they reach sixth grade just three years later they already have fallen behind most other developed countries. By the time they reach 12th grade they have dropped a considerable distance behind. Could it be that schools are actually making students dumber instead of smarter?
The question is can there possibly be a justification for spending over a hundred million dollars a year on an unproven system of “daycare” when there are so many needs that exist in the schools now. What kind of pay raise could a hundred million dollars provide current teachers? -- Allen Barrett
posted by J. Kendrick McPeters | 11:01 PM
28 Comments:
I'm totally against the Pre-K program. Most of these kids will never have the guidance at home that they need.
nor at school!
It's not up to the schools to teach morals and values at that age, it's up to the parents-sending them to pre-K is just a glorified baby sitter paid by the gov. and taxes.
Yes, schools ARE mandated to teach morals and values. Please check with the state board of education to verify that. The reason is because parents in general are not doing the job.
Yes everyone who is contact with younger people should help mold that child. But if you read what I wrote I said "at that age", they should be at home with their mother/father. I am a firm believer in parents raising their children not babysitters. People to often have children and than push them off on others to raise. That is part of society's problem today.
Its easy to say parents should raise their own children and do you really think they don't want to? You have to take into consideration the economy, not only here but across the country. It takes both parents working to try to make ends meet so I think it unfair to criticize not knowing the individual circumstances. If only everyone were as fortunate as obviously you are.
If people wouldn't try to keep up with the Jone's it wouldn't be so hard. The more debt you have the more money you need to keep you at the level of lifestyle you are trying to acheive. There is nothing wrong with wanting more or better-but giving up raising your children is not worth it.
Far to many of the kids are getting born to people that ain't even married just so they can get welfare, medical care, housing, food, etc, etc. Kids are an inconvienent necessity used to often to keep up a boyfriend that may have several babies by different women or more often young stupid girls. Set 'em in front of the TV until you can get "em to some teacher to raise while you keep on having your good times. Let somebody else raise 'em and let somebody else pay the bills for 'em seems to be the main way of life for these parasits that try to pass for adults/parents.
If anyone believes our school system should teach morals and values,,, they need to read the Jackson budget that was passed by the school board! Disgraceful!!!
That all goes back to how they are raised-if they are raised with morals and values more than likely you will not have those problems. Teach them morals and values from birth it worked 30 years ago-PARENTS just have to step up and take responsibility for their children.
When working($10 per hour)40 hours so your child can have an Video game system or 6 hours for a pair of shoes is a parents priority, something is definitely wrong especially when you can't afford your electric bill.
In these times priorities are more on material items than on respect for others, and that is because we as a nation have let society raise our children and not parents!
Radio report just said M34 families in US are living at poverty level, under $20,000 per year for a family of four. Now 2 children is not unreasonable for any income/social level. I doubt very much that these families are paying $400 for a video game or $60 for a pair of shoes. Its easy to be cynical.
Come to school one day and just take a look at the feet of the kids there. Maybe you can explain how a kid with $150 shoes is getting free breakfast and lunch.
Why am I going to work everyday and paying for others to hang out at home? Daycare paid by someone else is just absurd, preK is nothing but state sponsored daycare and one more thing I have to pay for.
April 24 6:24. You are right about mothers but don't punish the children for their parents sins. Give the children a break and maybe the cycle can be broken. I am speaking from experience. Nobody wants to make the mistakes that others before them did, we learn from others mistakes. Just because a woman made a mistake and could possibly be human, don't let the children suffer for it. They need the guidance from others like teachers who for the most part are moral individuals. Give them a chance!
Morals and values - Jackson and the school board are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to build themselves a posh administration building. No student will be educated by this boondoggle. Enrollment is not up. Meanwhile, they budgeted no money to be spent for roof repairs $360,000, more no roof repairs $600,000, and more no roof repairs $355,000 (all so noted in their budget). Better take the kids to the YMCA & teach them to swim. A flood of values! No life raft!
They cut technology by $120,000, cut text books by $150,000, and saved a lot of money, but forgot to mention that administrative costs will be up $106,000 this next year; which is much better than the $1+ million (50%) increase over the past 3+ years. They worked hard and saved money every year, but forgot to mention spending through 2006-7 will be up by $6.2 million. The revenue numbers were cooked by understating local tax revenues and not mentioning the matching funds properly ... so they can increase your taxes, spend freely now, and look good and at year end! Is there anything that is not tainted by ill begotten funds? Morals, morals, and more morals.
Jackson and the school board that makes it all possible are the leaders and icons of education. The well is poisoned. You are being taxed by the state and county to support corruption and fraud. That which you think you see is illusion. Do you care about our children's education? Do you care if the education image is an illusion, or of substance? They are convinced our community is too stupid to figure out the scam and too cowardly to do anything about it. I disagree!
Anonymous...
I would agree with you that there is a small faction of know-it-alls here who think people in this county are too stupid and apathetic to manage their own lives or to even have a clue what goes on. If you don't know how smart these malcontents are, simply ask one of them. Then you will appreciate their insights and brilliance.
So are you saying that there are a few "people in this county too stupid and apathetic to manage their own lives or to even have a clue what goes on". Before you answer you may need to talk with Judge Damron, the attendance supervisor with the school system, the teachers at various schools and even ask yourself how can a pre kindergarden program be justified if all the parents are
meeting their responsibilities.
I believe the writer said there are a few know-it-all malcontents living in this county who presume that Giles Countians are too simple to know what's best for them.
How did you manage to misunderstand that post? It had nothing to do with Judge Damron or with the Pre-K program.
Howard & anonymouse, you missed the point - it takes the villiage to properly indoctrinate children. Got to get the little cherubs in a circle, get the wiggly toys out & learn em how to be liberal. If they can't conform they'll dope them up...............
426.624 Pull your head out of the sand. The wave in the distance is a psuedonanny headed right at you. Better find a big tree & climb it before it gets here. I'm sure you'll feel right at home up there on top of everything, amongest the leaves, branches, & bannanas. Don't forget your IPOD.
Hate to hear that this is officially in place.........
This is just another program where our tax money is spent on the children of no-good parents (for the most part)......it really makes a normally calm person like myself very angry.
Pre-k is not mandatory so if you want to keep your child home you can but not everyone can or should....if the parents really are the types that you speak of better with caring well-trained pre-school teachers than at home with them.
I somewhat agree......but if they can't take care of them they should not have had the children.
I have my own children to provide for...don't want to pay for other kids to go to free daycare with lunches, snacks, a teacher and an assistant.
I heard one principal say that he's already spent $10,000 of school money on the Pre-K program.
I do understand and see your point and even agree somewhat. Unfortunately after the child is here the point of whether the mother should have or have not had the child is no longer the question. At that point the decision has to be made to either address the situation or let a detrimental cycle continue without intervention.
So what you folks are saying is they are bad parents and we should let innocent children suffer because of that! Please give these children a chance. We need to give the children a chance so that they can become productive citizens. Also sometimes people fall on hard times. It has been mentioned many times on this blog that jobs are leaving Giles County. Those people are trying to find jobs but may be unable. If their children quailfy let their children go to pre-school. Poor people are not automatically low class. If children are given a chance to advance themselves the cycle of poverty in families can be reversed. I know that I came from poverty and am a member of the upper middle class. Give them a chance to better themselves and IT STARTS WITH EDUCATION!
Why can't kids attend who are not on "free lunches?"
I would rather pay for vasectomies and tubals.
Every time I see those little kids with their free snacks, free lunches.....it crawls all over me.
The parents should have to pay something. I know it's not the children's fault....but you all know what kind of people you see lugging two, three, four, kids around at Wal-Mart.
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