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