Yet another study which finds all day kindegarten is bad

Fairly often there seems to be a push for full-day kindergarten, and then full-day preschool. The idea seems to be that a little kindergarten is a good thing, so more must be better. (This is kind of like saying that we need a little iron in our diet, so everyone should eat a pound a day.)

Several studies have refuted this basic idea. The results of another study was recently published and it found Full-day kindergarteners' reading, math gains fade by 3rd grade. This was fascinating:

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Overall, the study found that the reading and math skills of children in full-day kindergarten grew faster from the fall to the spring of their kindergarten year, compared to the academic skills of children in part-day kindergarten.
However, the study also found that the full-day kindergarteners' gains in reading and math did not last far beyond the kindergarten year. In fact, from the spring of their kindergarten year through fifth grade, the academic skills of children in part-day kindergarten grew faster than those of children in full-day kindergarten, with the advantage of full-day versus part-day programs fading by the spring of third grade. The fade-out can be explained, in part, by the fact that the children in part-day kindergarten were less poor and had more stimulating home environments than those in full-day programs, according to the study.
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Read the last line a second time. Humm, a little time at home in a more stimulating environment is good. Maybe someone will come to the conclusion that all day at home is best!!! Sounds like homeschooling could have some advantages.


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