September 2018 – Solving Minnesota's Achievement Gap

Kindergarten Readiness, A Cover Up?

September 20, 2018 tkf

Kindergarten Readiness is the foundation on which the rest of a child’s education is built. Other problems may exist in the school system, but they are difficult to identify until kindergarten readiness has been fixed. That lead to a search for kindergarten readiness statics for the state. I searched the state website and was directed to a page that explained: • ‘Currently, the state of Minnesota does not have an estimate of the proportion of students entering kindergarten who…

Read More Read More

Universal Pre-Kindergarten

September 20, 2018 tkf

Pre-Kindergarten Four-year-old children would attend half-day classes during the school year, at the cost of about $7,500 per child. Currently in Minnesota, it is defined as ‘voluntary pre-kindergarten’ as only 4,000 positions are funded by the state government. However, Gov Walz has stated that Pre-Kindergarten provides the ‘biggest bang for our buck,’ and it will be the cornerstone of his next budget. What does this mean for families that are in Pre-Kindergarten? Families that rely on daycare are still responsible…

Read More Read More

Closing Observations

September 15, 2018 tkf

Closing observations: The failures in education have been reported for some time and have been blamed on schools and teachers. Not all the kids show up ready for school. The worst districts seem to be located in the inter-city. There are maps of economic disparity, used by the banking industry to identify neighborhoods that they must attempt to serve to fulfill an obligation under the Community Reinvestment Act. Overlaying those maps with results from school districts in the state will…

Read More Read More

Achievement Gap Solutions?

September 15, 2018 tkf

Poverty is the cause of the Achievement Gap (AG), and it will cost the taxpayer. The highest cost is to do nothing. Children show up for kindergarten that needs additional services, such as learning English or without executive function (causing behavior problems). “85 percent of all juveniles who come into contact with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. So are 60 percent of all prison inmates.” Ruben Rosario There are many benefits to Solving Minnesota’s Achievement Gap; this quote…

Read More Read More

Analysis of Gov. Dayton’s Fact Sheet 2016 Budget

September 10, 2018 tkf

FACT SHEET | Investing in Early Learning 2016 Budget for a Better Minnesota To help understand the flaws in this document the reader should understand when children learn. Child Development, Timeline: • Eighty percent of brain development happens by 3. • At sixteen months, a difference in vocabulary can be seen between children of low, modest, and high-income children. • By age two, scientists can predict 3rd-grade reading scores. • Chronic stress impedes development; poverty is the primary driver of…

Read More Read More

Teachers Call to Action

September 10, 2018 tkf

This page is dedicated to teachers; there are several facts that the general public should understand. Providing the correct solution will show that we respect their time in the classroom. It will allow them to spend their time teaching children and less time solving the basic needs of some children. All too often the teacher needs to intervein when a child basic needs are not met, for example lack of clothing or food. Teachers are: • My hero’s (personal I…

Read More Read More

Minnesotans Call to Action

September 10, 2018 tkf

Legislators and Candidates Our children need to be your priority, if you fail the children you have failed! • This is not a Democratic or Republican issue or particular interest group issue. • Support a one item bill in the legislator Public, our children need your help Please make calls and send emails. Call your state representatives and ask what they support on this issue and how they have voted on it in the past. Follow up with an email….

Read More Read More

Action Plan

September 10, 2018 tkf

Why is this important? The current push is for UPK potentially costing $500 Million and a waste of money. Summary Based on research provided on this website, UPK is not the solution to solving the Achievement Gap. Solving Minnesota’s Achievement Gap Step 1 “Coordinating Early Education Funding Streams” Close Gaps by 5 Currently, Minnesota uses a confusing array of at least seven different funding streams to pay for early education program access for children under age 5, including: • Childcare…

Read More Read More

UPK Additional Information

September 10, 2018 tkf

Minnesota is not providing useful information on kindergarten readiness stats. However there are other ways to determine the results of UPK. Universal Pre-Kindergarten has been implemented by other states for a period of time. If it in fact improves a child’s results, those results will show up in standardized testing that take place in several grades. Third grade, eight grade and graduation scores should be higher in states that have had UPK for a period of time. Those scores should…

Read More Read More

Determining the Cost of UPK In Minnesota

September 10, 2018 tkf

Based on an article from WCCO, ‘During a visit to a Newport Elementary classroom,’ The administration estimates the proposal would affect 47,300 students in its first year, eventually growing to roughly 57,000’ children would be enrolled in UPK.’ (http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/03/20/gov-dayton-proposes-free-preschool-for-4-year-olds/) Average number of births in Minnesota is approximately 69,000, and the average number of students in each grade in school is approximately 68,000. However 57,000 seems to be a reasonable number based on other states that are pushing UPK. Minnesota Cost…

Read More Read More