LEARNING
READINESS
Parent
and Teacher Perspectives About Minnesota's Learning Readiness Programs
A Report of Findings From the 1994 Pilot Evaluation
Marsha
R. Mueller
Mueller Associates
2703 Brookridge Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota
55422 612-591-1315
University
of Minnesota Children, Youth and Family Consortium. Permission is granted
to create and distribute copies of this document for noncommercial purposes
provided that the author and CYFC receive acknowledgment and this notice
is included.
This
is an evaluation design that won an award from the American Evaluation
Association. It provides an overview of the learning readiness program
and findings from three pilot sites.
Contents
Learning
Readiness Evaluation
-
Background
-
Evaluation Purposes
-
What Follows
1994
Pilot Evaluation
Participant
Response Themes
-
Parent Perspectives
About Learning Readiness Programs
-
Parent Perspectives
About Child Progress
-
Teacher Perspectives
About Child Progress
-
How Parents
and Teachers Support Children
-
Parent and Teacher
Expectations of Each Other
-
Linkages Between
Learning Readiness and Kindergarten Programs
-
Child Assessment
Strategies and Teacher Information Needs
Pilot
Site Descriptions
Background
The 1993 Learning Readiness legislation provided start-up funds for
evaluation. A committee of local school district and Minnesota Department
of Education staff worked with an outside evaluator to clarify information
needs and identify evaluation approaches.
Three
considerations guided the work of the committee. First, the new and
evolutionary nature of Learning Readiness(LR) programs. Most of Minnesota's
343 programs have existed less than 3 years and represent a rapid response
by districts to address state goals and local needs. Immediate calls
for systematic information, as a result, focus on program development
and implementation issues. Second, the importance of collaborative work
between LR and kindergarten programs. The purpose of teaming readiness
is to enhance children's' teaming and development to support future
success in school. Useful evaluation strategies should have the potential
of supporting the information needs of those who work with children
in both LR and elementary education. Third, evaluation strategies are
needed which focus on both immediate and anticipated issues and accommodate
limited resources. Local and state decision makers are now asking for
systematic information about programs and participants which will assist
development of LR programs. In the long term, strategies are needed
which will help staff and others assess the effectiveness of LR programs
for children.
Evaluation
Purposes
The purpose of 1994-95 evaluation activity is to set the stage for future
evaluations by creating and piloting strategies for obtaining information
about the following:
-
perspectives
of parents and teachers about LR programs;
-
how parents
and teachers support children's teaming and development; and
-
strategies used,
if any, to assess child progress.
What
Follows
The following sections report the findings from the pilot study of participant
perspectives.
Purpose
Develop and pilot strategies at three sites to obtain information about
the following:
-
perspectives
of parents, LR and kindergarten teachers about LR programs and child
progress;
-
how parents
and teachers support childrens' Teaming and development; and strategies
currently used, if any, by LR programs to assess changes in child
progress while participating in LR.
Pilot
Sites
Three districts participated in the pilot: Rush City (rural), Osseo
(suburban), and St. Paul (urban). Districts were selected for their
different operating contexts and interest in evaluation.
Data
Collection Strategies
Five interview guides and a survey were developed and piloted during
the summer and fall of 1994. Interview guides were designed to be used
for both group or individual interviews. The mail survey was sent to
parents of recent LR students who are now attending kindergarten. Copies
of interview and survey forms used in the pilot are available from Betty
Cooke, Minnesota Department of Education.
Study
Participants
Parents of LR children, LR teachers and kindergarten teachers participated
in the pilot. Parent respondents had children involved in summer or
school year LR programs conducted in Rush City, at Dayton's Bluff Elementary
School in St. Paul, or at one of two LR locations in the Osseo school
district. Teacher respondents included all LR teachers from Osseo and
Rush City and three LR teachers from Dayton's Bluff Elementary School
in St. Paul. Kindergarten teacher interviews included five teachers
from the three districts. One interview was conducted with the principal
of Dayton's Bluff Elementary School, at her request.
Introduction
The following statements represent themes or trends from the pilot study.
The purpose of reporting these themes is to illustrate the kind of information
which can be obtained from the evaluation strategies. These themes are
not reflective of all LR parents and teachers in Minnesota. Themes are
based on an analysis of conversations with parents and teachers from
three pilot sites as well as survey responses.
Parent
Perspectives about LR programs
Parents are satisfied.
Parents are generally very satisfied with their child's LR experience.
Parents describe important attributes of LR programs. Parents described
three aspects of LR programs they consider important and should not
be changed.
Important attributes included:
Parent
Perspectives About Child Progress
Parents discussed changes in their child's behavior. Most parents talked
about changes they observed in their child's behavior while the child
was involved in LR. Types of changes observed by parents included:
-
increased interest
in teaming;
-
improved social
skills and ability to work in a group;
-
increase in
self-reliance; and,
-
increased interest
and excitement about school.
Most
parents felt LR helped prepare their child for kindergarten. For the
most part, parents participating in the pilot study, whose children
entered kindergarten in the fall, felt LR helped prepare their child
for kindergarten. In addition, most parents are comfortable with their
child's adjustment to kindergarten.
Teacher
Perspectives About Child Progress
LR teachers describe children's progress. LR teachers are working with
children who have had limited, if any preschool experience and who exhibit
a range of cognitive and social abilities. In addition, some LR teachers
have children who have very limited English language skills.
Teachers
expressed confidence that many children are prepared to begin kindergarten.
LR
teachers felt confident about the likelihood that children starting
kindergarten are prepared to begin school. However, all LR teachers
had concerns about some children. Teachers were concerned about children
who have behavior problems and about children for whom English is a
second language. Kindergarten teachers stressed the importance of preschool
experiences in setting the stage for successful transitions to school.
During
fall interviews, kindergarten teachers described the general characteristics
of their students. Teachers emphasized the role early learning experiences
play in supporting children's adjustment to school.
How
Parents and Teachers Support Children
Background
One purpose of the pilot was to develop strategies to explore how parents
and teachers talk about what they do to support children's teaming and
development and to understand how parents and teachers view each other.
Interview and survey questions focused on parent and teacher views about
what is done at home, communication between parents and teachers, expectations
parents and teachers have of each other, and communication between LR
and kindergarten teachers.Most LR parents talk about the importance
of parent involvement--work schedules limit time with children.
LR
parents recognize that what they do to support their child at home is
important. For many parents, tune available to work with their young
children is limited.
Kindergarten
parents talked about specific and regular review of school work at home.
Kindergarten
parents discussed specific things they do at home with their child.
Parents discussed having scheduled time each day to talk with their
child about what happened in school and providing help with school work.
Parents
describe different amounts and kinds of contacts with teachers. Some
LR and kindergarten parents talked about making special efforts to contact
teachers and visit classrooms. Most K parents talked about having some
kind of personal contact with the child's kindergarten teacher during
the first week of school or during fall open houses. Most contact is
through notes or newsletters.
Teachers
talk about and approach parent involvement in different ways. LR and
kindergarten teachers discussed different strategies used to communicate
with and involve parents. All teachers use newsletters or notes to communicate
with parents on a regular basis about class activities. Open houses
and conferences are common ways of meeting parents. In some cases, LR
and kindergarten programs have outreach workers who contact parents
by phone or visit homes. Teachers differ in what they feel they know
about how parents work with children at home.
Teachers
feel information about parent involvement at home is important. Most
teachers talked about the importance of knowing how parents support
children at home and how knowledge of parent involvement can enhance
their work with students.
Parent
and Teacher Expectations of Each Other
Parents expect teachers to communicate effectively with parents and
students, to teach, be informed about their child, and to provide a
safe environment. Both LR and kindergarten parents discussed similar
expectations they have of teachers. Parents emphasized the importance
of open communication with parents and students. Parents also expect
teachers to teach, provide safe environments for Teaming, and be informed
about what their child is doing.
Teachers
talked about parent expectations of teachers in different ways. About
half of the teachers mentioned expectations that were similar to parent
comments; communication, emphasis on academics, and safety. Some LR
teachers were less certain that they understood parent expectations
of teachers although they discussed what they felt parents should expect.
Two teachers mentioned different kinds of expectations than were mentioned
by others, based on their work with parents. One teacher noted that
parents expect her to be an expert on child development issues. Another
teacher noted that parents expect teachers to respond to a range of
adult and family issues.
Teacher
expectations of parents stress:
-
involvement
in child's learning,
-
communication
with schools, and
-
understanding
different ways children learn.
Most
teachers discussed expectations they have of parents in similar ways.
For the most part, teacher expectations focused on parental involvement
with children and what their children are learning, being informed about
what goes on in school, open communication with teachers, and learning
more about how children learn. One teacher stressed the importance of
parents meeting their child's basic needs for sleep and food, as well
as making sure children come to school.
Parents
discussed expectations teachers have of parents that were similar to
teacher's.
Parent
views on teacher expectations of parents stressed:
-
parental involvement,
-
providing children
with basic needs,
-
being informed
about what goes on in school, and
-
communication.
Linkages
between LR and Kindergarten Programs
At two pilot sites, communication linkages are established between LR
and kindergarten programs.
At
two sites, teachers talked about different ways they work with each
others' programs. In those two cases, kindergarten staff had been involved
in planning LR programs and continue close contact with LR teachers.
At the other pilot site, linkages had not been established between LR
and kindergarten programs.
Child
Assessment Strategies and Teacher Information Needs
Most LR teachers use some form of observation to assess child progress.
Most LR teachers talked about observation strategies they use to assess
changes in children's cognitive and social development. Teachers observe
children, take notes, and collect samples of children's work. In some
cases, classroom paraprofessionals also observe children and later compare
notes with teachers. Most teachers noted they have limited time and
few resources to make extensive assessments.
Teachers
would like to know more about children: information about their families
and children's social development.
LR
and K teachers discussed information they felt would enhance their effectiveness
in working with children. Most teachers mentioned information about
families and timely receipt of any assessment data (before the school
year begins). Some kindergarten teachers also stressed the importance
of social development and the usefulness of that kind of information
at)out children for their work.
Background
The following descriptions, prepared by LR coordinators, provide general
information about the three pilot sites.
Rush
City School District
District
Characteristics
Rural,
northern Chisago County, 60 miles north of Twin Cities on Interstate
35W. Recently, the district's population has grown rapidly. The Rush
City Industrial Park employs about 1,000 people. Many other residents
commute as far as the Twin Cities each day.
Rush
City School District has a population of 3,800. The school district
is 107 square miles. There are 900 students in K- 12. About 225 families
have children 0-5.
LR
Program Characteristics
Services
Provided
Services provided include:
-
sliding fee
for preschool;
-
fees and transportation
for summer preschool for those who have had no preschool;
-
kindergarten
readiness activities for all preschoolers (such as bus trip to kindergarten
room);
-
take-home activity
kits available for all families with 4 and 5 year olds;
-
"Parent
Connections", parent education/support sessions for families
with children in preschool;
-
child care during
parent sessions; and,
-
mailings to
parents.
Recruitment
strategies
Recruitment strategies include:
-
consistently
updating census lists;
-
identifying
programs that each child is participating in; and,
-
contacting parents
at WIC, immunization clinics, preschool, Head Start, Early Childhood
Screenings, and special events.
Age
of Program
Rush City LR is in it's third year of operation.
LR
Program Site
Learning Readiness operates primarily out of the Family Center in Rush
City.
Enrollment
Trends
The percentage of children enrolled in our preschool has been high for
several years. LR has made it possible for families on limited incomes
to participate and parent s have become more involved. In the 1994 kindergarten
class, 93% of the children had participated in some type of preschool
program.
Partnerships
LR activities are intertwined in the programs at the Family Center.
The Family Center is a one-stop site, at the local shopping mall, for
families with young children. Comprehensive services focus on "prevention"
and promoting healthy, full-functioning children and families. Staff
include early childhood specialists, nurse, social worker, in-home therapist,
special education, preschool, and ABE teachers. School district, county
agencies, Head Start, WIC, Mental Health, S.T.R.I.D.E., hospital and
Information & Referral all offer services.
Budget
LR budget covers services a-g listed above. This has been essential
for providing services to at-risk, hard-to-reach families.
Staff
Perspectives on Effectiveness
The flexibility of the use of this funding to our district has been
appreciated. It is money that can help fill the gaps in providing services
at our Family Center. Children in low-income families can now attend
preschool. Kindergarten teachers are finding that children who most
need a preschool experience are now receiving that.
It
is still a challenge to involve the most needy parents in educational
activities. Many have very serious basic needs issues. We are also seeing
more challenging behaviors in children. We are working on providing
collaborative services from Head Start, mental health agency and the
school district. However, this is an expensive endeavor.
Osseo
School District
District
Characteristics
The
Osseo School District is comprised of suburbs of Minneapolis in Northwest
Hennepin County. The District is large geographically and in terms of
population. It is the fifth largest school district in Minnesota. LR
is implemented through the Learning Plus Preschools that were established
with LR funds, along with various community early childhood placements
for children and funding support for Early Childhood Developmental Screening
and School/Family Liaisons in six of our elementary school.
Service
Attributes
-
Two sites -
Maple Grove in the Zachary Square Shopping Center, Brooklyn Park
in the zaneway Shopping center.
-
Three Sections
- M,W,F, a.m. in Maple Grove, M,W p.m. in Maple Grove, T,Th p.m.
in Brooklyn Park. Each class is 2 1/2 hour
-
Tuition scale
according to income - over half our children are entirely on scholarships.
-
bus transportation
is provided for all children and parents indicating need to their
nearest location.
-
Parent involvement
is encouraged at Maple Grove site through parent visitations and
volunteerism in the classroom and parent meetings.
-
Parent participation
is required at Brooklyn Park site through patenting day every Thursday
- includes parent-child interacti education/discussion.
-
Sibling care
is provided for all parent events at both sites.
-
60 children
participate in Learning Plus every ten weeks.
-
Three 10 week
sessions are offered each school.
St.
Paul School District
District
Characteristics
The
St. Paul Learning Readiness program is responsible for planning, coordinating
and providing Learning Readiness services for a large urban school district.
There are approximately 4,800 four-year- old children eligible for service.
These numbers represent a diverse ethnic, racial, cultural and linguistic
group of children and families. Approximately 3,900 children entered
public school kindergarten in the fall of 1994, with the remainder attending
private school kindergarten. Children in the age range of 3- 1/2 to
kindergarten age can be served through the Learning Readiness program.
Because of the large number of children eligible for service and the
limited funds available, the St. Paul Leaming Readiness program has
placed priority on identifying and serving children most in need of
service during the year before they start kindergarten.
Program
Characteristics
Major
Program Components
The St. Paul Learning Readiness program provides LR services in a variety
of ways and at different levels of service.
Level
I Services:
The LR program provides outreach and recruitment to all families in
the district with a four-year-old child in order to facilitate participation
in Early Childhood Screening and to identify children most in need of
LR services. Early Childhood Screening is required by state law for
all children before starting kindergarten. Bilingual Outreach Workers
provide assistance to parents in screening, follow-up and enrollment
in LR service options. A LR checklist is used at the Early Childhood
Screening clinics to help identify children and families most in need
of service, who are then referred to the LR program for follow-up services.
All parents and children participating in Early Childhood Screening
are provided with a Parent-Child Learning Readiness Information Packet
which includes a Community Resource Directory.
Level
II Services:
Children and families referred to the Learning Readiness program receive
individual follow-up to make sure their health, nutrition, social service,
Teaming and development and parent involvement needs are met. The St.
Paul Learning Readiness program employs Learning Readiness Resource
Teachers, who together with the Bilingual Outreach Workers, provide
follow-up services to families. The follow-up services include: service
coordination, referrals and linkages to community agencies and services,
assistance and support in enrollment in various Learning Readiness service
options, an Individual Family Plan and monitoring of progress in meeting
identified needs.
Level
Ill Services:
Many of the children and families referred to the Learning Readiness
program receive Learning Readiness services in the form of Learning
Readiness classes, home visits, intensive home and center-based intervention
services, parent education, or consultation services at home or at a
center. Learning Readiness classes are provided through collaborations
with a number of school district and community programs including Early
Childhood Family Education, Family Resource Centers, private and community
preschools and early childhood programs. Some Learning Readiness classes
are also provided directly by the Learning Readiness program during
the school year and in the summer at various school and community locations.
Recruitment
Strategies
The St. Paul Learning Readiness program uses multiple strategies to
identify and recruit children for the Learning Readiness program. Publicity
materials are available in various languages, including English, Spanish,
Hmong and Cambodian.
A video
tape which shows the intake and referral process through Early Childhood
Screening is also available in these same languages and has been shown
in many school and community locations. Bilingual outreach workers and
other program staff disseminate information in the community through
meetings with parents, school district and agency staff and other interested
groups. City and neighborhood newspapers have been used for publicity
as well as Hmong and Spanish radio announcements. The Learning Readiness
program description is also included in the Community Education bulletin
which is distributed to every household in St. Paul three times a year.
Age
of Program
The Learning Readiness program began with a planning process during
the 1991-92 school year. The program began to serve children in the
fall of 1992 and is now in its third year of operation.
Program
Sites
The St. Paul Learning Readiness program is delivered in many different
ways using school district and community programs and agencies. Learning
Readiness services are provided at thirteen different Early Childhood
Family Education sites which include school and community center locations,
two Family Resource Center sites in storefront locations, a kindergarten
classroom at an elementary school, and at over 20 community preschool
or other program locations through subcontract agreements.
An
increase in the number of children and families to be served during
1994-95 is expected for each of the three levels of service. By December,
1994, over 900 children have been referred for Learning Readiness services
and have received follow-up services, and over 500 are enrolled in the
more extensive Learning Readiness service options. Children will continue
to be identified and referred through the Early Childhood Screening
clinics and will be enrolled in Learning Readiness programming including
the third Learning Readiness Summer Program planned for Summer, 1995.
Based
on 4,800 as the number of eligible children, approximately 68% of eligible
children received Level I services, and 25% received more extensive
Level 11 and Level Ill services during 1993-94.
The
St. Paul Learning Readiness program is reaching and serving a diverse
group of children and families. Demographic information obtained during
the first two summer programs indicates that 75% of the children served
during the summer sessions were children of color (18% African-American,
38% Asian-American, 12% Hispanic, 27% Caucasian, and 5% other). Nearly
half of the children served during the summers come from homes where
a language other than English is spoken; with 36% from Hmong-speaking
households, 8% from Spanish-speaking households, and 5% from families
with other language backgrounds.
Partnerships
The St. Paul LR program builds on and strengthens the available programming
and resources available for young children and their families within
the school district and the community. The LR program works closely
with Early Childhood Screening, Early Childhood Intervention Services
and Early Childhood Special Education to identify and refer children
to the most appropriate service for which they are eligible. Early Childhood
Screening and the LR program work with Ramsey Action Program Head Start
so that families sign up for Early Childhood Screening when they submit
an application to Head Start. Children who are on the waiting list for
Head Start are referred to the LR program. Other collaborators in providing
LR services include Early Childhood Family Education, Family Resource
Centers, various Elementary Schools, the Wilder Foundation, St. Paul
Rehabilitation Center, Merrick and Merriam Park Community Services,
Lao Family Community, Inc., and several preschools which either provide
a LR class or spots in their existing preschool Programs.
Budget
and Staff
The 1993-94 budget was approximately $811,000 and included a full-time
staff of 5 teachers, 2 bilingual education assistants, I clerical position
and various part-time hourly staff employed to teach classes either
during the regular school year or during the summer program.
The
1994-95 budget is approximately $985,000 and the program now employs
a full-time staff of 7 teachers, 5 educational assistants and I clerical
position plus part-time staff. Special efforts have been made to recruit
and employ a culturally diverse staff who will reflect the population
of children and families to be served.
Staff
Perspectives on Effectiveness
Positive
Attributes
The
St. Paul LR program uses a variety of strategies to reach and serve
those children and families most in need of LR services. Services are
planned, coordinated and delivered based on the individual needs of
children and families. A variety of program options are available and
most services are delivered close to where the families live. The program
builds on and extends the range of services that are available for young
children in the community through collaborative arrangements with many
different programs and agencies. The program has made a special effort
to provide services to children who are not being served by any other
early childhood program, including children who previously have fallen
between the cracks or do not meet specific eligibility criteria for
Early Childhood Special Education or Head Start, but who still have
identified needs for LR services. The staff employed by the program
or who provide LR services through contractual agreements are committed
to serving all children and to providing service in developmentally
and culturally appropriate ways. We are Teaming new and better ways
of observing, recording and reporting the progress that children make
when they participate in LR programming.
Limiting
Attributes
The
level of funding does not allow for very many children to receive extensive
or intensive services. Although the capacity of some programs in the
community has been increased by Learning Readiness funding, there are
limitations in terms of space and transportation to serve all children
needing service without increased funding for rent, transportation and
facility improvement.
Future
Challenges
The
LR program must continue to respond to the changing needs of children
and families. An increasing proportion of families with young children
are experiencing conditions of poverty, unemployment or underemployment,
or inadequate housing, medical care and nutrition. Consequently, it
is very difficult for parents to deal with the stresses of everyday
life, meeting basic needs and still provide the support and encouragement
that children need for their teaming and development. Even though we
are finding new and more effective ways of delivering LR services to
children and families, if the level and intensity of the needs of children
and families continue to increase, we will be working harder and harder
to just stay even in terms of positive outcomes for children. The LR
program must continue to work collaboratively with other programs in
the school, community, state and nation to meet the nation's #1 Education
Goal: By the year 2000, all children will arrive at school ready to
learn.
Minnesota
Department of Education
Early Childhood Family Education
992 Capitol Square Building
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101
612-296-6130
January 1995
