Primer, March 2010
March 2010 Volume 5, Number 3
Editor’s note: School districts across Ohio are grappling with how to meet the state requirement to offer all-day kindergarten starting next fall that was enacted as part of House Bill 1’s sweeping education reforms. Many district leaders argue they can’t afford to add the necessary classrooms or staff to meet the requirement, and more than 150 districts hope to delay expanding their kindergarten offerings until the 2011-12 school year. Yet a recent poll by Ohio Education Matters found that 62 percent of Ohioans support the idea of all-day kindergarten and 65 percent think all districts should be required to offer it. As the debate about how to best serve Ohio’s youngest students continues, we invited a teacher who has spent nearly 20 years teaching kindergarten to share her experience with all-day kindergarten classes.
Opportunities and issues
for full-day kindergarten in Ohio
By Kristin Menhorn, Kindergarten facilitator, Toledo Public Schools
Ohio House Bill 1 requires all Ohio school districts to adopt and implement full-day kindergarten programs beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.
Having taught some form of a full-day program for 19 years, I have seen many changes in curriculum and expectations for kindergarten. I feel full-day kindergarten programs offer many advantages, as well as bring challenges in how they should be implemented.
Advantages of full-day kindergarten
The most obvious advantage of a full-day program is the luxury of time. With a full-day program I have been able to offer more time for hands-on activities, in-depth exploration of curriculum and a broader range of learning experiences, play opportunities and creative projects for my students.
For example, in my classroom students have observed a tadpole change to a frog, learned about and cared for hermit crabs, made erupting volcanoes, and created cards for loved ones on recycled paper that they made from toilet tissue. After comparing different versions of the book, The Gingerbread Man, my students have chased a gingerbread man around the school, meeting our school workers and learning about different classrooms. They were also able to act out the story and then make and eat gingerbread cookies. We have done in-depth studies of authors such as A.A. Milne, Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle, to name a few.
On the first day of spring, my students have made pancakes and eaten real maple syrup after learning about the syrup-making process. We have heard from guest speakers about electricity, gardening, banking, fire safety and other relevant topics. Our annual fieldtrip to the farm remains in the memories of my students for many years after kindergarten.
With the current state and federal standards, I believe I would have to omit many of these activities in a half-day program due to lack of time to complete them and still be able to give adequate time for instruction of reading and math skills and completing the required curriculum.
With the full-day program, I have had more opportunities to assess individuals and address the broad range of experiences of my students, as well as individualize instruction and provide small group learning and interventions. I utilize the results of the KRA-L (Kindergarten Readiness Assessment-Literacy), the state of Ohio’s choice for pre-kindergarten screening, to get a baseline of my students’ skills. Throughout the school year, I use DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Beginning Early Literacy Skills) to continue assessing my students’ progress as well as weekly progress monitoring of students who may be having difficulties.
The full-day schedule allows me to collaborate with my colleagues to have a weekly intervention time for all kindergarten students, where we work on specific skills with small groups of students, based on the students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading and math. Progress monitoring, small groups and intervention groups take time out of the regular class schedule and a half-day program may not be as flexible for accommodating these activities.
My students also have time to experience and utilize new technology in their learning. They complete a reading and math program on computers daily, they use a Smartboard three to four times per week for math and reading instruction and this school year we have received an ELMO system for use in many other curriculum areas.
In the urban setting in which I teach, many of my students have had limited preschool experiences. For example, of the current 17 students in my class, three students attended our building Headstart “CLIPP” program and only four others attended a Headstart or preschool program outside of our building. I feel a full-day program offers a consistent schedule for students, especially those with little or no preschool experiences, which can help to better orient them to school, offering more time for any adjustment issues or deficits and social issues that some students may experience.
During our full-day program, students also receive special education, remedial and speech services as needed. These services may not have been available to them during a half-day schedule, as the programs usually require that students be removed from the classroom for a period of time. Currently, I have three students receiving supplemental speech services 40 minutes per week and I am able to schedule the services during times other than reading and math instruction. Small groups of students are also able to work with our remedial teacher at times in the school day other than reading and math time.
Full-day kindergarten has also offered my urban students the benefit of receiving breakfast and lunch, as many do not receive regular meals outside of the school setting. Also, the high transience and low attendance issues in my district would cause some students to miss excessive amounts of curriculum if they were in a half-day program.
Issues for full-day kindergarten
In the last 19 years, I have seen the kindergarten curriculum evolve from a less structured, more play-based curriculum to a structured, academic-oriented curriculum.
I feel that the academic focus can create some problems for the full-day option. With the longer school day, the expectations of achievement have been greater and the program has become curriculum-filled. Our students are now expected to complete the curriculum based on pacing guide timelines instead of individual development and needs. My students are now assessed on how well they can sound out words, read high-frequency words and add and subtract as opposed to just recognizing letters, sounds and numbers a few years ago.
The result is that developmentally appropriate practices are often overlooked, and our students do not have enough unstructured and free play time during the school day.
One disadvantage of full-day kindergarten that I have experienced has been the fatigue and stress for students trying to adjust to the lengthy day. Students get tired and overwhelmed by the amount of work that is expected of them. Behavior problems and other forms of acting out due to stress can arise. A half-day program may be less stressful for some students, giving them a break after a few hours.
The issue of structuring the kindergarten day so that it does not create too much stress for young students is one that needs to be addressed when implementing full-day programs. At our school, we give some students the opportunity to attend part of the school day instead of asking that parents wait to enroll their child in kindergarten if he/she is of age to begin but not necessarily ready to do so. For example, one student attended my class for two hours of the school day because he would cry, have bathroom accidents, fall asleep or act out in other ways when he stayed for the full day. If this child had only had the options of attending all day or being excluded from kindergarten entirely, he would likely have brought some of the same adjustment issues. Instead, he adjusted much better the following year and was able to attend for full days.
If Ohio is to successfully implement full-day kindergarten, attention is needed in several areas. First, the individual needs of students need to be taken into account. Some students may be better served in a developmental kindergarten or some other form of pre-kindergarten program prior to being enrolled in full days regardless of their actual age. These needs may be maturity based or lack of preschool experiences. Giving such children time to be in a pre-kindergarten classroom may better prepare them for the expectations of a full day in kindergarten.
Classrooms need to be developmentally appropriate for kindergarten-aged students, especially so when they spent entire days in that environment. My first kindergarten classroom was in a basement that I had to share with another teacher and class. There was not a convenient, child-sized restroom, sink, drinking fountain or furniture that was appropriate for small children. A kindergarten classroom should also have space for small group and large group activities. Centers should be able to be separated and have appropriate sized tables, chairs and shelving. Materials need to be stimulating and available for different levels of development.
Teachers should be certified and highly qualified to teach early childhood. Class size should ideally remain below 20 students and a teacher’s aide should be incorporated. Activities should alternate between quiet and active, with individual or small groups and whole group instruction. A research-based curriculum for core subjects should be adopted, especially for larger districts where student transience is an issue.
In closing, I welcome the new focus on kindergarten and the importance of kindergarten in the scope of educating our children. However, I believe care must be exercised to insure that all children receive the kinds of experience best suited to their development and that more Ohio children enjoy the advantages of all-day kindergarten my students have realized.
About the Author
Kristin Menhorn is a kindergarten teacher at LaGrange Elementary School in Toledo Public Schools and kindergarten facilitator for the district. She has taught full-day kindergarten in TPS since 1998, and previously taught full-day, alternate-day kindergarten for the Toledo Diocese for eight years. She has been National Board certified as an Early Childhood Generalist since 2001.
Learn more about the poll on all-day kindergarten »
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Editor’s note: Ohio Governor Ted Strickland earlier this year called for a focus on “green-energy jobs” at a time when the state is shedding jobs at an increasing rate. He proposed such measures as a $40 million Energy Gateway Fund for high-tech energy companies and eliminating Ohio’s tangible personal property tax for green energy companies that break ground this year and start producing energy by 2012. Just this month, Ohio education and workforce leaders spent considerable time at a statewide conference talking about how to prepare more workers for green jobs. To understand this opportunity better, Ohio Education Matters asked the Center for Community Solutions to project employment trends and training needs in select green industries to provide solid information for Ohio leaders in their employment training and economic development efforts. We offer a summary of those findings and recommendations in this month’s essay.
Ohio Green Jobs and Workforce Needs
By John Habat
Senior Fellow, Center for Community Solutions
Ohio was a leader in traditional manufacturing for more than 100 years. As traditional manufacturing left the state for foreign shores and modern technology fueled cheaper production processes, Ohio lost – a loss that leaves a continuing legacy of struggles: economic, employment, environmental, educational and social. But there is good news: Our state’s manufacturing is being revitalized by adapting to green industries. Ohio businesses sense this transformation: They project very substantial growth in green business and green employment over the next several years and decades.
The outlook for green jobs in Ohio
According to a report issued by The Pew Charitable Trusts in June 2009, new jobs connected to the green economy grew 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007. Based upon employment projections from a variety of recent studies, a reasonable estimate is that 15 to 20 jobs are created for every $1 million expended in green economic activities.
Our research found that:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->The $82 billion in federal funds and tax credits authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for renewable energy and conservation activities will potentially create between 1.2 and 1.6 million jobs over the next two years – 45,000 to 62,000 of them in Ohio.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Green businesses are very optimistic on future growth prospects:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->Business Growth: 54.6 percent of respondents projected moderate (4 to 8 percent) to significant growth (9+ percent) of their businesses over the next two years, and 69.9 over the next five to seven years.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->Employment Growth: While employment projections slightly lag business growth projections, they are also optimistic: 43.2 percent of respondents projected that employment in green jobs would grow from moderate to significant over the next two years, and 55.9 percent over the next five to seven years.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Businesses engaged in energy efficiency activities – specifically building and residential climate controls (HVAC) – dominate the green economy. Reducing energy usage for interior climate control offers the largest reduction potential, the quickest pay back of investments, and the most new jobs.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->The large majority of businesses (86.6 percent) engaged in green economic activities have fewer than 100 employees; almost three‐fourths have 25 or less.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->For many businesses, engagement in green economic activity represents a relatively small percentage of their workforce; however, for 37.4 percent, their workforce is at least 50 percent engaged.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->The skills and capabilities of existing workers are readily adaptable to green jobs.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Half of all respondents are not experiencing any challenges in filling their employment needs; the other half identified challenges that break almost evenly between basic skills and advanced skills.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Businesses generally are able to fill their need for employees with specialized skills, though this likely will become a greater challenge once the economy improves.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->A large majority (70 percent) of all businesses indicated that at least some of their employees in green jobs need specialized skills. There is a significant need for engineers, educators/trainers, HVAC mechanics/installers, and electricians.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->More than one out of four businesses identified need for some type of engineer in their businesses.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Workers in green jobs are represented at all skills levels – from lower to professional.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->There appears to be a greater need for persons with a Bachelor Degree as compared to those having an Associate Degree.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Most of the training of new skills to existing employees is done by an in‐house trainer with training time of 80 hours or less.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->More than 12 percent of the businesses indicated a need for in‐house educators or trainers.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->There is a decreasing need for workers in green jobs with a high school degree or less, but workers at that skill level still comprise more than half of the jobs at green businesses.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->A solid majority of respondents (58.3 percent) indicated that there are career‐ladders for lower‐skill workers in their businesses.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Most of the businesses (58.3 percent) have been engaged with green occupations for seven years or less.
Potential Employment Impact
Although this study did not seek to project the number of jobs that may be potentially created in Ohio as a result of moving away from fossil fuels toward a green economy, there are several studies that attempted such quantification. Based upon these, the Center for Community Solutions (CCS) calculated some macro projections of green jobs in Ohio.
Based on a cumulative average of these projections, a reasonable composite projection of jobs created per $1 million investment is approximately 15 to 20 direct, indirect, and induced jobs.
The American and Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides a minimum of $62 billion in federal funds for a wide variety of renewable energy and conservation activities, plus an additional $20.3 billion in tax credits18 for individuals and businesses, for a total of $82.3 billion. This amount is in addition to funds and tax credits that were included in the regular federal budget.
Using the above approach of estimating potential job creation (15‐20 jobs per $1 million invested), ARRA funds and credits can potentially generate 1,234,500 to 1,646,000 jobs nationally during the next two years. Assuming Ohio obtains an amount based upon its share of national population (3.77 percent), the state will have 46,540 to 62,045 new jobs related to renewable and green energy economic activity. This is a conservative estimate that does not fully account for the concentration of manufacturing in Ohio that is likely to produce a disproportionate amount of the equipment and machinery used in renewable energy products, such as solar panels and wind turbines. “[T]he 20 states benefitting the most from investment in wind are almost identically the 20 states that have lost the most manufacturing jobs in the country over the past 3 years…. The potential benefit to Ohio manufacturing industries is even greater.”1
Recommendations
Based upon the research and findings in this report, CCS offers the following recommendations to the State of Ohio; post‐secondary education, training, and workforce institutions; and to foundations and other organizations working to advance green economy and green jobs.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->Energy efficiency measures offer the most immediate and significant opportunities to reduce a substantial amount of energy usage and to create the most jobs. A more in‐depth study should be undertaken of the specific workforce needs associated with energy efficiency (climate control and lighting) in office buildings and residences, which are responsible for 40 percent of all U.S. energy consumption. As noted in this report, there are more than 5,000 Ohio businesses engaged directly in HVAC alone, and thousands more in the supply chain related to it.
2. A capacity assessment of the post‐secondary educational resources and training programs specifically linked to HVAC and lighting should be undertaken.
3. All types of engineers – electrical, mechanical, environmental, civil, materials, chemical, structural, systems – are the professionals upon which the movement to renewable energy and green jobs is being built. In total, 26.6 percent of the businesses identified some type of engineer as the specialized skills needed in their workplace. A capacity assessment of Ohio universities’ engineering programs should be undertaken.
4. Almost 68 percent of businesses indicated that they provide in‐house training; 12 percent of businesses indicated a need for an in‐house educator/trainer. It is important to understand why these training programs are being done in‐house, and to what extent government workforce programs can partner with businesses to secure the training needed.
a. The state should analyze each renewable energy sector and identify specific engineering needs unique to that sector.
b. The state should identify other skilled‐jobs, such as electricians, that are needed by some or all of the energy sectors.
5. Few jobs will exist for persons lacking a basic education. State and local education providers must continue to focus on basic skills training – including the so‐called soft skills – and on increasing the rate of high school graduation.
1. Component Manufacturing: Ohio’s Future in the Renewable Energy Industry, Renewable Energy Policy Project, October 2005, pp. 3 and 5.
About the Author
The Center for Community Solutions is a nonprofit organization that provides strategic leadership to improve targeted health, social and economic conditions. It helps policymakers, community leaders and service providers identify health, social and economic challenges, and target resources toward sound, cost-effective solutions. Based in Cleveland, its goal is to provide information, support and advocacy to help community organizations and service providers address the significant problems faced by Northeast Ohioans. http://www.communitysolutions.com/