USA Today – Rebecca Givens Rolland
“Universal preschool has made its way into the presidential campaign, with Hillary Clinton backing more federal investment and Philadelphia’s sugary drink tax while Donald Trump suggests that “there’s nothing like starting young.” For many parents and educators, starting young means helping children learn letters and numbers. But there’s a more important skill set that we are neglecting: executive function skills such as how to pay attention, set goals and plan. As a speech language pathologist and early childhood expert, I’ve seen how teachers of young children tend to focus on skills they can see: that is, reading, writing and counting. Especially in poorer schools, this push is often driven by parents who desperately want their children to get a solid start. It’s also driven by a well-intended but misguided focus on replicating the type of “progress” teachers themselves remember from their own school years.”(more)