A study by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) (Is More Better? The Effects of Full-Day vs. Half-Day Preschool on Early School Achievement , 2006), finds that the benefits of full-day preschool over half-day programs are significant and concludes that "policy makers should strongly consider implementation of full-day preschool."
The NIEER report discusses a randomized trial that compared children from low-income families in half-day and full-day public preschool programs.
Results show that children attending full-day programs did better on mathematics and literacy tests than children in a 2.5 to 3-hour public preschool program and the achievement gains continued at least until the end of first grade.
Moreover, the results indicated that quality early childhood education can help make up for "disadvantaged circumstances." The researchers said quality preschool, therefore, may be "an effective tool for enhancing equality of opportunity as well as increasing achievement generally."
The study sponsored by NIEER, was conducted by Kenneth B. Robin, Ellen C. Frede, and W. Steven Barnett.
The researchers explain, "Preschool programs vary greatly -- from less-than-half-day to full-day-plus programs. Little rigorous research is available to inform policy decisions about the relative benefits of programs with shorter and longer hours per day or days per year. To address this need, NIEER conducted a randomized trial in which 4-year-olds in a low-income urban district were randomly assigned to programs of different durations. The programs were otherwise quite similar: all had teachers with college degrees, a low ratio of children to teachers, and used the same curriculum."
According to the report, "Children who attended an extended-day, extended-year preschool program experienced greater improvement in test scores compared to peers who attended half-day programs. The difference in performance gains over time was evident for measures of both verbal and mathematic abilities. These results indicate that duration is an important consideration for the effectiveness of preschool education. Common sense and other research suggests that increased time in the classroom yields better results because it provides greater opportunity for teachers to work individually with students and allows for a more relaxing atmosphere with less time proportionately spent on routines such as meals, tying shoelaces and hand washing."
The study concludes:
"Although further research is needed to augment this single study of half-day vs. extended-day preschool, the results clearly indicate that duration and intensity matter. Extended-day preschool seems to have dramatic and lasting effects when it is high quality. All teachers in the study classrooms were certified, public school employees paid on union scale. A comprehensive curriculum was implemented with strong supervisory support offered to classroom staff. Classrooms were also well supplied, and both children and families received support services. Given the evident need of many families for full-day care for their 4 year olds and the evidence presented here that full-day preschool has important benefits for child learning, policy makers should strongly consider implementation of full-day preschool."
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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SOCIAL ENGINEERING FROM THE ELECTED REASONABLE FOLKS FOR THE REASONABLE SYSTEM...FEEL TAKEN CARE OF YET????
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Continued Use of ADHD Drugs May Reduce Criminal Behavior, Study Says
Arrests were lower when people with disorder took their medication, Swedish research found
November 21, 2012 RSS Feed Print
By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- For teens and adults who don't grow out of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, staying on ADHD medications may help them stay out of trouble.
Males with ADHD who stayed on medications for the disorder reduced their risk of criminal behavior by 32 percent, while women who did so reduced their rates of criminal behavior by 42 percent, according to a large Swedish study.
"It seems as though ADHD medications decrease the risk for criminality while under treatment," said the study's lead author, Paul Lichtenstein, professor of genetic epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm.
Results of the study are published in the Nov. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park, said past research has found that adults with ADHD have a "host of increased risks later in life, like driving accidents, losing jobs, divorce and arrests." Adesman said those at greatest risk of criminal behavior are those with hyperactivity.
Adesman added that it's important for parents to know that not all children with ADHD will engage in criminal behavior, and that some children will outgrow ADHD. Still, "collectively, people with ADHD are at risk for a range of poor outcomes," he said.
For the current study, the researchers gathered information on more than 25,000 people living in Sweden with a diagnosis of ADHD. They also collected information on what types of medications were given as treatment, and any criminal convictions that occurred between 2006 and 2009.
Researchers then compared non-medication periods to medication periods and the rates of criminal behavior for each person.
The risk of criminal activity dropped by more than a third for men and women combined during medication periods, according to the study.
Lichtenstein said the researchers didn't study whether medications were more effective in reducing criminal behavior for a particular age group. They also didn't look at whether one type of medication was better at decreasing the risk of criminal activity, but he said those that influence the core symptoms of ADHD -- such as impulsivity, restlessness and irritability -- are likely to be better at reducing criminal behavior.
Lichtenstein said ADHD medications should be seriously considered for adolescents and young adults with ADHD who are at risk for criminal behavior.
"All medications have potential adverse side effects, and the clinician should weigh risks and benefits for each patient," he added. "Now, they should include the potential decreased risk of criminality in that evaluation."
For his part, Adesman said that based on the findings of this study, it looks as though treatment with ADHD medication can make a difference in the risk of criminal behavior. But, he said, it's important to realize that the population in this study isn't the same as the population in the United States, so the findings might be different if the study were done here.
Adesman said it is also important not to "presume that children diagnosed with ADHD today have the same risks of criminality as people diagnosed 20 years ago, given the greater awareness, education resources and support that is available today."
However, he added, "I suspect that symptomatic people probably do better with medications."
Although the study found an association between staying on ADHD medication and reduced criminal behavior, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
More information
Learn more about the medications used to treat ADHD from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.
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