And we’re off
… this time in full gallop toward institutionalizing full-day
kindergarten as a path to educational improvement and excellence
within the Gilroy Unified School District.
And we’re off … this time in full gallop toward institutionalizing full-day kindergarten as a path to educational improvement and excellence within the Gilroy Unified School District.
Whoa! Before our community mounts up and rides off carrying this newfangled banner, Gilroy, via our elected school board, should have at least two public discussions on the matter and vote to set a clear policy.
Is full-day kindergarten the place where we should be spending our resources and energy? Is there evidence from the district’s pilot program that test scores go up and students take more readily to learning the basics? Do children of that age have the attention span to truly benefit from a full day of education?
Suffice to say that there are questions aplenty. That has led the district to convene a task force to study the issue. The only problem is that three schools – Rucker, Rod Kelley and Las Animas – have already decided to stroll down the full-day path thus putting the proverbial cart before the horse.
This scenario points out another problem that is likely to surface time and time again unless it is addressed. As the district has deliberately moved to neighborhood schools and indicated that more decisions should be based at school sites, it must define where the line is that differentiates between what decisions can be made at a school site and what decisions need to be made centrally at the administrative and board levels.
That demarcation line is not currently clear.
The full-day kindergarten issue represents an opportunity to delve into the issue about where decisions will be made and clarify it before it becomes an out-of-control monster.
Once clarity in the decision-making arena is established, then schools will be able to advance ideas within a structured framework that will, hopefully, lead to a better education for students.
If that clarity is not established, then mass confusion will ensue and the district will also be battling fairness issues.
Having one school like Rod Kelley, for example, take up the full-day kindergarten experiment is exciting. And those kind of changes should be applauded and encouraged – there’s a committed staff that advanced the idea and parents who are supporting the program.
But before other schools decide to join that parade, data should be collected, and it should demonstrate that this is indeed a best practice for Gilroy. If so, then the superintendent and school board should make the policy shift clear.
