Current Trends and Issues

By G. Olsen|M.L. Fuller — Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall Updated on Jul 20, 2010 As we have seen, public policy can drive the issues that create a cultural climate looking for change. Several issues that are finding platforms for discussion among politicians, teachers, and communities could provoke changes in the next few years. States adopting a variety of tax credits for working families giving them help with childcare and in-home care expenses (Hirschhorn Donahue, 2006) Family-leave policies, allowing both parents opportunities to spend time with newborn babies in the early formative years of infancy Flexible work schedules and job-sharing opportunities for parents who want to continue on their career path Internet and media control legislation to assure parents that children will not view or find inappropriate materials while using these media for learning Improvement in the quality and availability of infant and toddler care

Justification This is a good article about current and up and Justification Reference Justification An unfortunate trend in today's kindergartens What does 21st century learning look like in an elementary school? Image from Technically Invisible That’s the question that was posed to me this week by the faculty at a wonderful school on Manhattan’s upper east side in preparation for some upcoming PD work. I think it’s an outstanding question that’s worth reflecting on in-depth as we all start to think about what our goals and direction are for the next school year. What does 21st century learning look like? is an essential question and overarching topic that I hope to come back to again and again as I think about what works in real classrooms. It’s an especially important consideration at the elementary level, because so many of the tech trends in education are tested out and geared toward middle and high schools. To me, 21st century learning in an elementary school has the same overall goals as a secondary school: it’s only the implementation that differs. You don’t have to use every program that’s out there, or introduce a new one with every unit. So that’s my thinking on this topic right now.

Article Justification Justification Today’s Kindergarteners are Playing Less, Studying More Today's kindergarten curriculum looks nothing like the kindergarten curriculum we knew when we were kindergarteners. For kindergarteners today, kindergarten isn't just about naps and playtime and developing social and emotional skills anymore. Now, kindergarteners are tackling reading, writing, math and homework. Kindergarteners today are writing sentences, learning geography, and doing simple math problems. In other words, a kindergarten curriculum today is more likely to resemble a smaller-scale version of a first grade curriculum. Less Play for Kindergarteners: Is It a Good Idea? In a trend that's being criticized by many parents and educators, more school districts are downsizing playtime in kindergarten and placing increasing emphasis on preparing kindergarteners for standardized tests. For one thing, says the Alliance for Childhood, testing kids younger than 8 may produce skewed results because kids this age can't sit still for long periods of time.

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