Reply to Can achievement gap be closed with extra tutoring?

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "Can achievement gap be closed with extra tutoring?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]I think what this thread is highlighting is that it is really difficult for the average MCPS teacher to fully realize the potential of every child in the school system if they are coming in without a rich vocabulary and a deep knowledge base.  The children who have these two attributes are more likely to come from middle class families with parents who might have gone to college and so understand the importance of reading to and conversing with their children (and no, plonking a child in front of Sesame Street is not a good substitute to actually talking to your children).  I started reading to my child when he was a couple of months old.  We did not have a lot of money at that time so I used the public library, bought used books etc.  I took him to free museums.  We did not have a lot of money but I had time (since I stayed at home with him) and I knew what to do (read to him, interact with him, expose him to new and enriching experiences and I knew how to find out about resources. 
There are a couple of things the County could try.  One is more parenting classes.  Another is to include a module about early childhood learning in the Health class all MCPS high school students are required to take (they are going to parent future MCPS students).  
The other is full day universal PreK.  It is super expensive but it might be the best way of ensuring that all children enter Kindergarten with a decent vocabulary and a decent knowledge base.
I would agree with the two teachers who posted that the problem isn't that some children speak a different language from English at home.  A child who has a rich Spanish/Vietnamese/Bengali/Aramaic vocabulary and has basic knowledge about the world around them (preK level geography, preK level science) in their language is going to quickly learn English and thrive in MCPS[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics