# Pre-K makes students do worse in Math, Reading, and behavior



## Digitalis (Aug 20, 2021)

Shovel More Dirt on Pre-K


So I would ordinarily shy away from doing an old-school blog post that simply links to something else, but this feels like a study that calls out for an exception. I’ve just been reading a paper in the journal Developmental Psychology, thanks to a friend’s library access. It’s a pre-K study that...




freddiedeboer.substack.com


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

It's well established that the first born has a better chance at success in life, regardless of the metric used, than his younger sibs...The reason is obvious-- he gets the most individual attention compared to the others.

Pre-school is just a better chance for the libs to indoctinate kids into submission from an earlier, more impressionable age. They call it "imprinting" when talking about birds.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Preschool is really just baby sitting. And it begins the burnout process sooner, so when they are actually old enough to learn anything it's too late.


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## 67drake (May 6, 2020)

muleskinner2 said:


> Preschool is really just baby sitting. And it begins the burnout process sooner, so when they are actually old enough to learn anything it's too late.


So is forcing them into sports at that age.


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## BigHenTinyBrain (Apr 4, 2013)

The study found that play-based early education programs did not have a negative effect, but the strongly school-based programs that are most often used for low-income intervention did not help their students in the long run. Seems like there are a lot of variables to consider- including if the student is considered a low income person who need intervention at age 4 or 5, are they getting enough support throughout the later grades? Offering appropriate play-based pre-k for low income families that is similar to the play-based options that higher income families tend to choose for themselves would be a good solution.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

BigHenTinyBrain said:


> Offering appropriate play-based pre-k for low income families that is similar to the play-based options that higher income families tend to choose for themselves would be a good solution.


You're assuming it's the play based options that make a difference... It's not. 

Pre-school kids are not miniature grammar school aged kids, who in turn are not miniature adults. Nervous systems develop over time, and those toddler nervous systems just aren't ready to benefit from "school" just yet. They don't have the capacity.


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## BigHenTinyBrain (Apr 4, 2013)

My post is based on the study referenced in the OP, which found a difference primarily between long term results for kids in low-income programs which were focused on academic readiness versus programs which were not aimed specifically at low income populations, which have a strong tendency to be play based or Montessori based. The results of other studies showed a different long-term outcome for play-based pre-schools, but the different results (as the author of the study mentioned in an interview) may be also skewed by income and family resources. Basically, the author of this study said that her results were very different form previous studies, and she suspected it had to do in part with the type of pre-school being offered to people who didn't have the means to choose for themselves, but she also said that there were so many additional factors that needed to be examined that the only concrete conclusion she had drawn was that pushing academics at an early age didn't help in the long run.

Truly play based programs aren't supposed to reflect school at all, they should just be a place for little people to hang out and play with other little people while parents work. I'm a full supporter of letting kids explore the world without the need to direct them toward learning- they're learning all of the time, and it absolutely doesn't need to be directed.


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

I have mixed feelings on preschool. My daughter went to a Montessori preschool where she learned how to read and write by 4,she loved it and now at 13 still loves school. My youngest who is 7,I skipped preschool and hes only been homeschooled for kindergarten and first. I think what changed over the years is my faith in the education system.


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## alexharry51 (10 mo ago)

I am interested in knowing more about major fields of study in high school. Actually, It is a very important question for the future of my son. Your suggestion will be helpful for me.


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## Phillip (Feb 6, 2006)

Okay, sorry to resurrect an old post, but here are my 2 cents:

I am a public school teacher. I have taught pre-K, kinder and first grade. I am convinced that kids who go to head start are not up to par with kids that don’t. They typically show more severe behaviors and lower scores. I don’t get why. Maybe they aren’t developmentally ready for it yet. Or maybe the teachers suck. Or maybe it’s the demographics of the kids that go. I don’t know. But it’s true IMO.


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