Middle and Upper Class Children Are Hurt By Full Day Kindergarten

Last month, Nevada media covered claims from the Clark County School District that it had “proven” the effectiveness of all day kindergarten with a “longitudinal” study that found reading aptitude was 3% higher for second graders who had attended full day kindergarten, compared to another group who attended half-day kindergarten. The improvement was even more dramatic amongst the subset of full day kindergarten students who were labeled “at-risk” - a startling 8% improvement.

“At-risk” is determined by what percentage of the student body qualifies for “free or reduced lunch.” It is a measure of family income.

Imagine a group of six students who average five and a half feet tall. Three of the students are six feet tall. How tall do you think the other three students are?

I immediately set the legislative staff to work finding out from the school district what the “improvement” was amongst the rest of the second-graders in the full-day kindergarten group who were not labeled “at-risk” - essentially, those from lower-middle class homes and wealthier. The district stonewalled.

Finally, after a month of mounting pressure, the district lifted its veil of secrecy this week and confirmed what common sense was telling me… second-graders not “at-risk” who attended full day kindergarten performed THREE PERCENT OR WORSE on standardized tests compared to the half-day kindergarten group.

The district offered no theories as to why this was true, nor any reason for refusing to provide the rest of the study results until now.

Senator Bob Beers (R-Las Vegas)
bobbeers@bobbeers.net

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