News Brief

03/08/13

The Right Curriculum for Kindergarten: Play

Washington Post (03/08/13) Kenny, Deborah

According to Harlem Village Academies Founder and Chief Executive Deborah Kenny, upper-income schools were found to focus on active play and crafts in kindergarten, while lower-income schools engaged in regimented academics, reward-and-punishment behavior systems, and top-down instruction. Some say the adoption of the Common Core State Standards by 45 states and the District of Columbia has led to poor quality teaching, an increase in rote learning, and a decline in active play and exploration. However, Kenny says the standards were designed to improve instruction by teaching students to think independently, solve problems, and explain their thinking in a clear way. She says attainment of those goals depends entirely on the execution of the standards. For kindergarten students, the standards require them to "distinguish shades of meaning among verbs that describe some general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings," which could translate to a classroom of 5-year-olds marching, strutting, walking, and prancing for 10 minutes to different kinds of music while laughing and learning vocabulary. Kenny explains, "Imagine, further, that this activity is organically integrated into a meaningful project or a theme-based unit that lights up the child's love of learning. So while some schools might choose to teach vocabulary in a rote, boring way, clearly the standards are not to blame." She says Harlem Village Academies provides principals with the power to "select, nurture, and develop an outstanding faculty," but also holds them accountable for the results. The academies prioritize teacher development over curriculum development, allowing teachers to examine the standards and practice different strategies, learn from mentors, collaborate with colleagues, and observe students and teachers. She notes, "Play is not a break from learning or a way to fill time for the little ones: play, imagination, and discovery are how kindergartners learn."

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