Friday, June 25, 2010

Bright Beginnings: Where's the data?

I felt a flash of deja vu this week when school board member Trent Merchant pressed CMS officials for data on the kids who pioneered the district's prekindergarten program in 1998.

Two years ago, I asked similar questions for an article on the costs and results of Bright Beginnings. The biggest thing that has changed since then is the money. At the time, Bright Beginnings was costing Mecklenburg County more than $11 million a year.

An influx of federal stimulus money dropped the county's tab to about $2.6 million in the current budget year. That money goes away in 2011, reviving the debate over long-term benefits.

The first Bright Beginnings tots will graduate from high school next year, if they've stayed on track and been promoted every year. Thing is, no one seems to know if they have, or how they've fared.

It's worth noting that neither Peter Gorman nor any of the current board was running CMS when then-Superintendent Eric Smith launched Bright Beginnings.

I was covering children's issues for the Observer, so I remember the back-and-forth with child-care providers, who said they could provide good pre-K services for less money. Smith insisted that CMS could do it best, maintaining the quality to produce long-term results and monitoring to prove it.

Smith left Charlotte in 2002, and the monitoring faded away. That may or may not have had anything to do with the fact that the edge the Bright Beginnings kids showed when they entered kindergarten was also fading as they moved through elementary school.

Gorman told Merchant and the board that it's difficult to prove or disprove any benefits from pre-K so many years down the road, with so many other factors shaping each student's academic path.

Fair enough.

But it's also worth noting that the very first document posted for the CMS review of pre-K is a national projection saying each dollar spent on high-quality pre-K nets $7 in savings, based on better results that run through adulthood.

And that CMS has run similar cost-benefit saying each Bright Beginnings dollar saves taxpayers $2 to $3 in long-term costs, based on the assumption they're more likely to graduate and get jobs. A CMS projection that included reduced crime shot the savings to $15 for every dollar spent.

Which raises a question: If officials say a year of good prekindergarten produces adults who stay off welfare and out of jail, shouldn't those officials track whether it produces successful middle- and high-school students?

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes.

But apparently it doesn't.

Or else they'd be trumpeting it from the rooftops.

I'm afraid it's nothing more than expensive babysitting.

Anonymous said...

I am sure CMS has that data or at least, the capability to run that data rather quickly. It doesn't show what they want it to show, that's why you don't get it.

Anonymous said...

Exactly. The data probably shows that Bright Beginnings is pretty much pointless.

Anonymous said...

Funny how Pete can justify anything with a study and be one of the few who doesn't believe a study contrary to his views. Just another attempt to continue to throw money at something because it works based on Duh White's lapsing memory.

Anonymous said...

It won't be the first time that public monies are spent on pointless things.

PS to some of the CMS board and you know who you are: I have no moral obligation to care for your children.

Thank you.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I think it interesting to see how many CMS employees are allowed to have their children attend BB. The data exists on those children. The truth is that in the long run, there is no benefit. They all know it but want to keep subsidizing daycare for poor children. We need to be out of the day care business and allow day care to be paid for by parents and the monitoring of children sentenced to school by judges to be monitored by jailers. Look into that little know problem in the high schools Anne. One high school in CMS had a convicted rapist sentenced to school and this fine young man had a full time BMT following him every minute of the day. Shame on that judge.

Donna said...

The problem with Bright Beginnings is that it is just one intervention. It does give kids who might not otherwise have it a great start, but cannot be all that is done to make up for a poor educational home environment. If interventions from schools are going to be effective, they need to be not just early, but early and often. I suspect that the data show that the Bright Beginnings benefits drop off with time, because of the lack of additional quality intervention in high-needs kids.
I come from a place without universal pre-school, and think that maybe the board should look into private partnerships that could provide some of the benefits of Bright Beginnings, and then concentrate on really reaching all of the kids who are CMS K-12.

Anonymous said...

I am a BB teacher and I work hard for my money. No. It is not a babysitting job.My students are busy all day long. They come to the program not knowing a single letter but leave Knowing sounds each produce,making rhyming pairs, reading a few sight words, writing their name, knowing how to share and make good choices.We make the Kindergarten teacher's life a little bit easier. The program works. I would like to invite all the non-believers to walk a day in a Pre-k teacher's shoes. Our kids were given the PALS and the PPVT test to measure their gains this year and last year. The data is amazing to see the growth of our children.I have a degree in other areas. I teach Pre-k because I am very passionate about all children being able to attend an early childhood program. I have seen a few of my first students of the program. Yes. They are graduates are CMS and out working.

Anonymous said...
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Larry said...

I am beginning to think this is not a gushing story?

What is going on with Ann?

Anonymous said...

Why does CMS need the Bright Beginnings program when there's the More at Four Program and the Head Start Program that's funded by the Government? If CMS got rid of the BB Program there still are programs for the needy and the government pays not the school system. And why does a 4 year old need to be in school for 6 hours a day and of those 6 hours how many are actual learning and the other naptime. It is time that CMS get rid of the Bright Beginnings and apply that money to the classrooms where data is kept.

therestofthestory said...

At the 3rd grade EOG's, no measureab;e academic gains showed up. An assistant superintendent said they were going to track these kids to be sure they got extra help through the rest of the school years. The uproar quieted that effort but everyone believed they still would do it anyway to prove their program worked. It ended up being a merit badge for Eric so he could get his next job. As some other studies have shown, efforts like this have not panned out over time.

And the other poster is correct that state and federal dollars are paying for similar programs so we Mecklenburg County tax payers insist on this program ending as soon as possible.

Dr. Horrible said...

The studies I've seen have shown that pushing kids to learn before kindergarten provides a boost in K, a smaller one in 1st grade, and possibly a tiny advantage in 2nd. By 3rd grade, any impact is gone.

I recall it was sold as providing tangible, long-term benefits. It doesn't. On that basis, it is a failure (an expensive one) and should be scrapped.

therestofthestory said...

To June 25, 2010 7:36 PM

For a child of that age with such a limited proficiency, the parent(s) is (are) clearly guilty of neglect and possibly abuse. They should be prevented from having more children.

Anonymous said...

To all the people that would like to get rid ot the program just think of all the employees that will be out of a job. This is their job that pays the bills, put food on the table. Get rid of your job!

Anonymous said...

THE ABSURDITY OF COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS FOR BRIGHT BEGINNINGS.

There isn't one state or even one school district that does a complete yearly cost analysis of its education budget....so says a study by the University of Arkansas. Does anyone think such is possible?

No one is going to analyze Bright Beginnings. Imagine if they did and in the process discovered a way to compare budget to achievement. They'd have to install pay for performance immediately.




Bolyn McClung
Pineville

Anonymous said...

11:13, as I said at 5:25 PM yesterday:

I am not morally obligated to care for someone else's children. Nor am I morally obligated to provide a job to someone.

In the real world, if your job is valuable and you're good at it, you keep it.

Here, thanks to CMS obfuscation, we have no idea of the long-term benefit of Bright Beginnings (most suspect there's none.) So we have no idea of whether a job in that program has any value, let alone whether someone is good at it.

If someone can bring forth data that supports the notion that kids coming through Bright Beginnings have better outcomes-including graduating with decent grades in a timely manner-then maybe it should be funded and continued.

Otherwise, it's expensive mental masturbation.

You may have noticed that we do a lot of that around here.

Anonymous said...

The pre-k teacher is right. BB *does* work. But only the short-term, because intervention is not ongoing. It takes expensive, continual, intense intervention to overcome home environment deficits. And at some point, the child/teen has to want it or it just won't work. There are plenty of rich kids in rich schools who flake out too.

My comments don't speak to whether taxpayers should be funding BB. Just to the fact that for their money, they are getting a benefit, albeit a short-term one.

Anonymous said...

For people who say that BB doesn't work, do not have children I have a stepdauther who went through the BB program and is doing very well in school. For the person that talked about the More at Four program through the state, this program is for people who quailfy financially and the program is at daycare centers in which you have to pay for your child to attend. BB is free and helps parents who don't quailfy but who also can't pay for the services. Most of your "preschools" only run for a few hours a day. I hope CMS doesn't get rid of the BB program.

Alf said...

To Anonymous @11:13: I'm sure there were people who made wagon wheels that were great at their job, which put food on the table. However, when there wasn't a need for their services, nobody subsidized them.

The same should be true of BB. If the benefits of the programs are rather minor, then why should we continue to fund the program?

Anonymous said...

BB provides quality services for over 3,000 educational needy children. More at Four, Headstart, Daycare centers are all full.Where will these children go? What is happening to our society. If we don't get anything out of it for our selfish reasons. It's no good. It's a hand out to someone who can't afford it. Every child deserve a chance.Not all of the parents are bad parents. They love their child just as much as we love our children.It would be a waste to shut this program down. All of the classrooms are well furnished with all kinds of educational materials.Technology. You would rather sit these things in warehouses to collect dust instead of a child to be able to learn and explore with it. God bless you all.

therestofthestory said...

Sorry but again this is another program that does not pull its weight, like FOCUS, and should be ended. This is s public education system, not a social services delivery system with the ones wanting an education getting just the scraps/leftovers.

But once again as more posters are discovering, there are many who are simply lining up to the government feeding trough with no conscious as to appropriateness or concern where the money is coming from.

Anonymous said...

Please understand that Bright Beginnings serves all students in the classroom, not just the disadvantaged student population. Both our CMS students attended a highly diversified elementary school, Cotswold Elementary. Our oldest student is a rising Senior this year. When he was about to enter kindergarten twelve years ago, I remember attending small PTA coffees with the then principal, Donna Cianfranni. She would tell stories of how it was going to be so different for his incoming class of kindergartners since his class would be the first set of students to have participated in Bright Beginnings. She said prior to Bright Beginnings, kindergartners would show up for school and not know their colors. Her assessment was that before Bright Beginnings was instituted, many of the students would enter kindergarten with the skills approximating that of a 3 year old.

Both of our children benefitted greatly from having kindergarten classmates that had a mastery of not only their colors and numbers, but also had some inkling of how to behave in a group setting. I cannot imagine what our children's kindergarten experience would have been like if many of their classmates were still struggling to count to ten or had never been around other children in a learning environment. My sense is even if students are well-prepared for kindergarten and are academically gifted , they too, benefit when as many students as possible come prepared for the kindergarten year that awaits them.

Even if there is not hard evidence for a lasting educational "edge" for the Bright Beginnings participants, please remember that this program does not benefit just those who participate. Bright Beginnings directly impacts the educational experience of all learners in the classroom.

Anonymous said...

"Please remember," 4:31 and 2:34 that there is almost no data to back up your assertions. Just because you "feel" that way doesn't make it so and doesn't compel the rest of us to keep paying for it.

Show results-real, quantifiable, measurable, auditable results-or shut it down.

therestofthestory said...

Once again 4:31 PM, this is stuff the parents have the "moral obligation" to have their children prepared to do when they first come to school. Not having their child prepared is minimally "neglect" and possibly bordering on abuse.

Anonymous said...

My kids are grown now and they didn't have Bright Beginnings and they didn't go to kindergarten. As a parent I made sure they read to me every night and I kept up with their progress in school and if there was a problem I made sure it was taken care of. I taught them their colors, how to count and their ABC's. I feel there are too many programs that take away the responsibilities of the parent/parents. Parents are responsible for their kids and the school system should hold them responsible to make sure their kids have the education they deserve and I know some parents won't be responsible, but it's not the taxpayers responsibility.

Anonymous said...

PLEASE DON'T GET RID OF THE BRIGHT BEGINNINGS PROGRAM. I AM THE MOTHER OF A 6YR OLD AND A 3YR MOVING TO CHARLOTTE AREA TO ACCEPT A NEW POSITION. I HAVE NO FAMILY OR FRIENDS IN THE AREA AND THE ONLY PROGRAM I WILL TRUST FOR THIS CHILD; WHO'S PARENTS LEFT HER AT THE FIRE STATION SHE IS SMART, WELL BEHAVED, BRIGHT AND HAS BEEN SAFE WITH MY FAMILY FOR 3YRS. BRIGHT BEGINNINGS IS A GREAT PROGRAM AND I THINK WE AS PARENTS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY SHOULD SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM. MY 3YEAR OLD DESERVES THE RIGHT TO LEARN. YOU NEVER KNOW WHY A FAMILY NEEDS A GREAT PROGRAM LIKE THIS!

Anonymous said...

Keep Bright Beginnings, cut Parent University!

David said...

Very easy to pick on the defenseless four year olds. Have any of the Anonymous actually visited a 4K classroom and witnessed first hand what takes place in one? I have. I wish more Anonymous had completed 4K. It should be a mandated program. Where is the data that shows Bright Beginnings students lose their edge after Kindergarten? I'd like to see that data.

David said...

Here is some data:

#
1.

Report
Bright Beginnings. WWC Intervention ReportCitation Only Available . By: What Works Clearinghouse (ED). What Works Clearinghouse. 2009 24 pp. (ED505572)
Full Text from ERIC
Subjects: Preschool Curriculum; Emergent Literacy; Clearinghouses; Intervention; Evaluation Research; Evidence; Concept Mapping; Literacy; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Oral Language
Database: ERIC
#

2.

Report
Bright Beginnings: An Effective Literacy-Focused PreK Program for Educationally Disadvantaged Four-Year-Old Children.Citation Only Available . By: Smith, Eric J.; Pellin, Barbara J.; Agruso, Susan A.. 2003 110 pp. (ED478648)
Subjects: Academic Achievement; At Risk Persons; Comparative Analysis; Economically Disadvantaged; Educationally Disadvantaged; Emergent Literacy; Literacy Education; Longitudinal Studies; Outcomes of Education; Preschool Education; Program Development; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Program Implementation; School Readiness
Database: ERIC

David Bryan

therestofthestory said...

David, no one has said you can not fund this yourself. But when the rest of us have watched and monitored this program since the first year, we expected to see a whole lot more at this HUGE expenditure of money per pupil especially when it is our dime directly.

This program was sold as a silver bullet AND we hoped it was. It has not lived up to any epectations it was sold on to any degree. Just like FOCUS schools, the additional funding is not working. This spending must stop.

David said...

therestofthestory, Have you visited a Bright Beginnings classroom? Have you read the aforementioned available studies?

I personally know at least two five year olds who strongly disagree with you.

David Bryan