Upload
others
View
0
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
TheAppleseedProjectAninnovative,highlyscalableearlychildhoodliteracyprogram
ABSTRACT
TheAppleseedProjectseekstodramaticallyreduceremediationduringearlygradesbyprovidingcarefullycurated,tablet-deliveredlearningappstoparents/guardiansofat-riskchildrenfrombirthtofouryearsofage.Theappswillbetargetedtoenrichboththeparent/guardianandchild,beginningwithprenatalprogrammingandextendingthroughpre-kindergarten.Trackingusagehelpstoensurethatthechild’slearningcapabilitiesmeetexpectations,andprovidesanindicatorofwhenadditionalresourcesareneeded.Theprogramisdesignedtobescalable–soaschildrengrow,theyneveroutgrowAppleseed.
2
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWearegratefulfortheguidance,supportandassistanceofthefollowingthoughtleadersandcontributors:TracyZimmerman,ExecutiveDirectoroftheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation;RebeccaS.Lewis,NCLiteracyResources;Dr.DavidKoppenhaveroftheAppalachianUniversityReadingEducationandSpecialEducationDepartment;JasonWalser;AttorneyJenniferFlynn;DariCaldwell,RN,Ph.D.,FACHE,PresidentofNovantRowanHospital;Dr.LynnMoody,SuperintendentoftheRowan-SalisburySchoolSystem;EmilyRoden,founderofReadyRosie;JennieSherrill,FamiliesFirstofNorthCarolina;AmyBrown,ExecutiveDirectorofSmartStart;AttorneyGlennKetner;FredStanback;GwinBarr,ChairoftheRowanCountyCrosbyScholars;Dr.WayneC.Koontz, SalisburyPediatricAssociates;Rev.TimothyBates,pastor,CalvaryandCameronPresbyterianchurches;Salisbury,NorthCarolinaMayorKarenAlexander;CityCouncilorDavidPost,Salisbury,NorthCarolina;RepresentativeHarryWarrenofthe77thDistrictofNorthCarolina;PatsyRendleman;GerryTrammelHurley;JohnPruitt,NorthCarolinaDept.ofInstruction;LeshaHerbin,NikiSashingtonofSRCAA,Inc.HeadStart/EarlyHeadStart;ErikLipscomb,GCS;A.F.Hutchinson;ToniaAldridge,AppleEducation.
3
Achildislikeanappleseed.Ifignored,theycanonlyhopetosurvive.Thrivingisoutofthequestion.Achildislikeanappleseed.Ifnurtured,theyembodyourfuture.Achildislikeanappleseed.Ifnurtured,theybloom.
4
EXECUTIVESUMMARYTheCurrentSituationFordecades,well-educatedparentsintheUnitedStateshaveinvestedinearlychildhoodenrichment.Theirdeterminationtogivetheirchildrenadvantagesinschoolandlifehasledtotheexplosivedevelopmentofearlychildhoodliteracytoolsandresources.Therearenoshortageoftoys,games,andmobiledevicestoengagetheseluckylittleones.Butwhataboutthemorethan24millionchildrenunderage6yearsoldwholivebelowthepovertylevel?That’sapproximately48percentofthetotalchildpopulationwhodon’thaveaccesstotechnologythatcangivethemthesameadvantagesthatchildreninmiddle-andupper-middleclassfamilieshavewithineasyreach.Intheirlandmark2003study,TheEarlyCatastrophe,The30MillionWordGapByAge3,researchersHartandRisleyfoundthat,“Infouryears,theaveragechildinaprofessionalfamilywouldaccumulateexperiencewithalmost45millionwords,anaveragechildinaworking-classfamily26millionwords,andanaveragechildinawelfarefamily13millionwords.”Manychildreninlow-socioeconomicstatus(SES)familiesbegintheirreadingreadinessinpre-Kandkindergarten.Thisdelaydoesn’tsimplyputthemwellbehindtheirmoreprivilegedclassmates–itsetsthemuptofail.Childrenwhostartoutbehindtheirpeersinreadingreadinesstendtostaybehind,andthatgapwidensovertime.Childrenwhoaren’treadingwellbytheendofthirdgradearefourtimesmorelikelytodropoutofhighschool.Everyhighschooldropoutcoststhenationanestimated$260,000inlostearnings,taxesandproductivity.Delaysineducationalinterventioncanbedirectlylinkedtothehighcostofremediation.Theecostscontinuetorisethroughoutastudent’sjourneythroughelementary,highschool,andiftheymakeit,tocollege.Thecostofprovidingremedialcourseworkforstudentswhoarepoorlypreparedforthefreshmancollegecurriculumisapproximately$7billionannually.TheProjectTheAppleseedProjectisbasedonthesecentralideas:
• Literacyshouldbeaneffortthatenrichesthemotheraswellasthechild• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoreadshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatinga
positivelearningenvironmentforthechild
5
• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoaffordtoolsandresourcesshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechild
TheAppleseedProjectgrantsfreeaccesstoearlychildhoodenrichmenttechnologytolow-SESmothers,parents/guardians,andchildren4andunderinSalisbury,NorthCarolina.TheProjectprovidesamobiletouchscreendevice(KindleFire)tomothersthatisloadedwithaselectionofcarefullycuratedappsdesignedtoengagethemother,regardlessofherownabilitytoread,andprovidemuch-neededliteracyskillbuildingtoolstoherchild.Thetabletisbeinggiventomotherstogivethemachancetolearnhowtouseit,andhelpthemenrichtheirownlearningskillsthroughgamification.Withtheirchild,mothersandparents/guardiansusethetablettointeractwiththem.Theappsareinfinitelyscalabletoensurethatusersneveroutgrowthemandthatage-appropriatelearningcontinuesthrougheachdevelopmentalstage.ThereisnorequirementforInternetaccess,andnocosttofamiliesforanyaspectoftheprogram.Ourmaingoalsareto:
• increasethesuccessrateofthird-gradeliteracytestsandexceedthestateaverageinreadingproficiency
• doublethereadingproficiencyrateswithinSalisburyelementaryschools• positionSalisburytoleadthenationinreadingproficiencyforchildrenfromlow-
socioeconomicstatusenvironmentsDeliveryandFundingTheAppleseedisbeingmadeavailablethroughtheWileyLashHeadStartCenterandtheWOTFlemingHeadStartCenterinSalisbury,NC.Wearealsoworkingcloselywithcommunitychildandfamilyservicesproviders,particularlywithFamiliesFirstandSmartStartRowan,toidentifythemosteffectivechannelsforoutreach.Researchersapproximateanannual7to10%ROIonpre-Kinitiativesoveran18-yearperiod.Weestimatethatforeverydollarinvested,theAppleseedProjectwillreturn$10intheformofreducedremediationcostsandthereducedcostofothereducationalservices.TheAlcornfamilywillfundtheinitialpilotprogram.
6
CurrentProjectStatusInMay2016,workingwiththeWileyLashHeadStartCenterinSalisbury,NC,wedistributed55Appleseedtabletsloadedwith60appsande-bookstoeverychildwhowillbereturningtotheHeadStartprogramnextyear,aswellastoanadditionalsevenchildrenwhoaregraduatingthisyear.Appleseedprojectadministratorscontactedparticipatingparentsandaskedsevenbriefquestionsabouttheirexperiencewiththetabletstodate.Weaskedthemaboutwhattheylikedanddidn’tlike,theirpreferencesforapps,andtheirusagepatterns.Theresultswereextraordinary.Welearnedthat:
• Tabletsareusedsevendaysaweek• Timespentwiththetabletrangesfrom20minutesto2-3hoursperday• Tabletusageappearstoacceleratelearning
Parentspointedtospecificimprovementsintheirchildren’slearningskills,including:
• Increasedcomprehension• Betterspeechenunciation• Improvedconcentrationskills• Strongermemorization• Greaterdesiretolearn,andkeeplearning
(Foraroundupofparents’feedbackintheirownwords,pleaseseeAppendixB.)AsaresultoftheinitialsuccessoftheLashHeadStartCenter,wehaveexpandedtheprojecttotheWOTFlemingHeadStartCenter,alsoinSalisbury,NC.WebelievetheAppleseedProjectwillleveltheplayingfieldforlowSESchildren,andbeatoolforrealandlastingenrichment.
7
8
INTRODUCTION“Themorewedotoensurethatallchildrenhavesimilarcognitivelystimulatingearlychildhoodexperiences,thelesswewillhavetoworryaboutfailingschools.Thisinturnwillenableustoletourschoolsfocusonteachingtheskills—howtosolvecomplexproblems,howtothinkcriticallyandhowtocollaborate—essentialtoagrowingeconomyandalivelydemocracy.”1
--SeanF.Reardon,Ed.D,StanfordUniversitySchoolofEducationEnrichment,inContextWhenwethinkofenrichment,weoftenenvisionalevelplayingfieldasaplatformfromwhichwecangivechildrenaneducationalboost.Yetoverthepasttwodecadestherehavebeennumerousstudiesthatprovewithoutquestionthattheplayingfieldisfarfromlevel.Forchildrenoflowsocioeconomicstatus(SES),howenrichmentisdefinedisverydifferentfromitsdefinitioninhigherSESpopulations.Achild’shomereadingenvironment,includingfactorssuchashowmanybooksareinthehomeandthelevelofSESdistressexperiencedbytheparents/guardians,isdirectlycorrelatedtoliteracy.2Unfortunately,thetoolsofenrichment--books,computersandtutors--areexpensive,andmanyparents/guardiansinlow-SEScommunitiesareunabletoaffordarangeofresourcesthatcanhelpthemcreateapositiveliteracyenvironmentinwhichtheirchildrencanthrive.3ColumbiaUniversityprofessorJaneWaldfogelPhD,co-authorofTooManyChildrenLeftBehind,elucidatedtheissueinarecentWashingtonPostinterview.“There’sbeenalotofattentioninthepastfewdecadesonearlydevelopmentandearlybraindevelopmentandtheimportanceoftheearlyyears.Themoreeducatedandaffluentparentshavereallytakenthistoheart,andtheyhavetheresourcestodosomethingaboutit.Sothere’sbeenanexplosionininvestments,inthingslikecomputersandtoysandallsortsoflearning-relatedenrichmentitems.Therehasalsobeenanincreaseinactivities,liketakingkidstomuseums,toartclasses,tomusicclasses—younameit,”shesaid.“Butthelow-incomefamilieshavenotbeenabletokeeppace.Theyjustdon’thavethatkindofdiscretionaryincometopayforthesekindsofactivities.”4Ina2013follow-uptoalandmarkstudyperformedbytheAnnieE.CaseyFoundationandKidsCountfindsthat“newresearchunderscorestheimportanceofenrichedhomelearningenvironmentsandparentengagementinpreparingchildrenfromlow-incomefamiliestosucceedinschool.Afive-yearstudyofmorethan1,850childrenandtheirmothersfoundthatchildrenwhoselearningenvironmentswereofconsistentlylowqualityweremuchmorelikelytohavelanguageandliteracydelaysbeforekindergarten,whilesupportivehomelearningexperiencescouldhelpclosetheschoolreadinessgap.”5
9
MindtheReadinessGapBythetimechildrenfromlow-incomefamiliesarekindergartenage,manyarepoorlypreparedforschool,ifatall.A2012studybytheBrookingsInstitution’sSocialGenomeProjectnotedthatonly48percentofpoorchildrenarereadyforschoolatage5,comparedto75percentofchildrenfromfamilieswithmoderateandhighincome.6AccordingtoCatherineSnow,theHenryLeeShattuckProfessorofEducationattheHarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation,“bythetimechildrenfrommiddle-incomefamilieswithwell-educatedparentsareinthirdgrade,theyknowabout12,000words.Thirdgradechildrenfromlow-incomefamilieswithundereducatedparentswhodon’ttalktothemverymuchhavevocabulariesofaround4,000words,one-thirdasmanywordsastheirmiddle-incomepeers.”7Thatgaponlyworsenswithtime.Canadianresearchersfoundthat“asstudentsprogressedfromkindergartentogradethree,thoseinthelowerranksofreadingachievementwerelikelytoremainthere.Moreover,ateachsubsequentdatacollectionpointoverafour-yearperiod,thestrugglingreadersfellfurtherbehindtheirgrade-levelreadingpeers.”8End-of-thirdgradereadingproficiencyisthesinglegreatestpredictorofhighschoolgraduationandlatersuccess.Thosewhoreadwellgoontograduate,butthosewhoaren’treadingwellbytheendofthirdgradearefourtimesmorelikelytodropoutofhighschool.Andeverystudentwhodropsoutofhighschoolcoststhenationanestimated$260,000inlostearnings,taxesandproductivity.9Thelocalimpactisstaggering.AccordingtotheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation,themajorityofstudentsattendingelementaryschoolsinSalisburywerenotreadingproficientbytheendofthirdgradein2015.TheRemediationDrainForchildrenoflowSES,theneedforremediationbeginsattheearlieststagesoflearning,anditisaverycostlyneed.STAR3(SchoolTransformationbyRecruiting,Retaining,andRewarding)isaFederalTeacherIncentiveFundgrantawardedtotheWinston-Salem/ForsythCountySchoolDistrict.ResearchbyDr.WayneFoster,formerdirectoroftheSTAR3program,demonstratedthatifaK-3studentshowedlessthan50%gradeproficiency,thatchild’seducatorscouldspendtwiceasmuchtimeteachinggradeappropriatesubjects.Theresult?Nomeasurableimprovement.10Thecostofremediationcontinuestogrowovertime;anincreasingnumberofhighschoolstudentsarewoefullyunpreparedforcollegeandrequireremedialreadingand
10
mathematicscourses.A2012studybyresearchersattheNationalBureauofEconomicResearchestimatedthecostofcollege-levelremedialcourseworkintheUnitedStatesatroughly$7billionannually.11TheCostofDelay–andtheBenefitsofEarlyInterventionTheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundationfindsthatthereareonly2,000daysinachild’slifebetweenbirthandschoolage,anditisinthosedaysthatthebrain’sarchitectureforms.“Thesynapsesthatformforvisionandhearingpeakatjustfourmonths.Languageatninemonths.Highercognitivefunctionsatoneyear.Experiencesandenvironmentsdeterminewhichconnectionsgetusedmoreandtherefore,strengthened.Thosethatareusedlessfade.Achild’sinteractionswiththeworlddeterminehowtheseconnections(wiring)areformed,providingeitherastrongorweakfoundationforallfuturehealthandlearning.12At18months,researchersfoundstrikingdifferencesinlanguageprocessingabilityandvocabularybetweeninfantsfromhigher-andlower-SESfamilies.By24monthstherewasasix-monthgapbetweenSESgroupsinprocessingskillscriticaltolanguagedevelopment.13Ifwewaittohelpchildrendevelopreadingskillsuntiltheyreachschoolage–roughly4yearsold–wewilldoomthem.Whenwewaitfouryearstodevelopliteracyskills,weloseagenerationofcontributorstosociety.Nobel-prizewinningeconomistJamesJ.Heckmanwritesextensivelyonthecost-to-benefitratioofearlychildhoodeducationprograms,makingtheconnectionbetweencostsavingandlifesavingforlow-SESchildren.“Earlyinterventionspromoteschooling,reducecrime,fosterworkforceproductivity,promoteadulthealththroughseveralchannelsandreduceteenagepregnancy.Itcanredistributeresourceswithafixedbudgetandimprovechildandsocialwelfare.Theseinterventionsareestimatedtohavehighbenefit-costratiosandratesofreturn,intherangeof6–10%perannumcomparedtothepost-warreturntoequityof5.8%.”14Heckmanlinksdelaysineducationalinterventiontohighremediationcosts,andrightlyso.Asforreturnoninvestment(ROI)forearlychildhoodinitiatives,Heckmanestimatesanannual7to10%ROIonpre-Kinitiativesoveran18-yearperiod.15TheAppleseedConceptOurdesiretomakeagenerationaldifferenceinourcommunitybyincreasingthirdgradereadingproficiencyscoresisattheheartoftheAppleseedProject.PreparingchildrenfromlowSESfamiliestoexcelatend-of-thirdgradereadingproficiencywillnarrowthereadinessgapandreduceremediation.
11
Thepressureonthesechildrenistremendous,asisthepressureoneducatorstoincreasereadingreadiness.TobuildaframeworkforAppleseedwedugintotherootcausesofpoorscores.Deepdiscussionswithearlychildhoodeducatorsandcommunityleaderskeptusreachingbackfromthirdgradetopre-kindergarten,andwerealizedthatimprovingthosescoresrequiresveryearlyintervention.Weaskedourselves,“Howcanwecreatemeaningfullearningenrichmenttoolsforunder-servedchildren,andhowcanwedemonstratetheireffectiveness?”Byreachingback,weidentifiedthreecentraltenetsthatbecamethefoundationoftheAppleseedProject:
• Literacyshouldbeaneffortthatenrichesthemotheraswellasthechild• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoreadshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatinga
positivelearningenvironmentforthechild• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoaffordtoolsandresourcesshouldnotprevent
themfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechild
TargetAudienceInthefive-countyareasurroundingSalisibury,NC,thereareeightHeadStartprogramsservingapproximately1,098childreninthetargetagegroup.At-riskchildren,parents/guardiansinlow-SESenvironments,andchildrenwithdisabilitiesaretheintendedrecipientsofthetechnology.
FromtheNationalCenterforChildrenInPoverty(http://www.nccp.org)DefinitionsofriskfactorsHouseholdswithoutEnglishspeakers:Childreninhouseholdswhereallmembersoverage14yearsspeakanon-EnglishlanguageandarenotproficientinEnglish.Largefamily:Childreninfamilieswithfourormorechildren.Lowparentaleducation:Childrenwhoseparentsbothlackahighschooldegree.Residentialmobility:Childreninfamilieswhohavechangedresidencesoneormoretimesinthelast12months.Single-parent:Childreninfamilieswithoneunmarriedparentinthehousehold.Teenmother:Childrenwhosemotherswereteenagerswhenthechildwasborn.Non-employedparent(s):Childrenwhoseparentshadnoemploymentinthepreviousyear.
12
Webelievethatifastudentcompletespre-kindergartensuccessfully,theirneedforremediationdecreasesandtheirchanceofgraduatingincreasessignificantly.Atpresent,weestimatethatforeverydollarinvestedintotheAppleseedProject,wewillget$10backintheformofreducedremediationcostsandthereducedcostofothereducationalservices.
FromtheNationalCenterforChildrenInPoverty(http://www.nccp.org)DefinitionsofeconomichardshipExtremepoverty:Lessthan50%oftheFederalPovertyLevel*Poverty:Lessthan100%oftheFederalPovertyLevelLow-income:Lessthan200%oftheFederalPovertyLevel*Forafamilyofthree,the2012FPLis$20,090.FormoreinformationontheFederalPovertyLevel,goto:https://aspe.hhs.gov/2015-poverty-guidelines
13
DEVELOPINGAPPLESEED“…theinequalitiesofchildren’scognitiveabilityaresubstantialrightfrom“thestartinggate.”Disadvantagedchildrenstartkindergartenwithsignificantlylowercognitiveskillsthantheirmoreadvantagedcounterparts.Thesesamedisadvantagedchildrenarethenplacedinlow-resourceschools,magnifyingtheinitialinequality.”16
ValerieE.LeeandDavidT.Burkam,UniversityofMichigan
CreatingaPre-deliveryDeliverableLiteracyshouldbeaneffortthatenrichesthemotheraswellasthechildTheAppleseedtabletmustbefamiliar,intuitive,easytolearnanduse,andfunforthemother,parent/guardianandchildthroughoutthedevelopmentalstagesfrombirthtofouryears.AMarch,2015reportfromtheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesontheUsesofTechnologytoSupportEarlyChildhoodPracticenotesthatthesinglemostcommonbarriertotechnologicaladoptioninearlychildhoodeducationprogramsisalackoftechnologicalliteracyonthepartofthestaff.Wecanassumethatthesechallengesextendtomothersandparent/guardians.“Othercommonbarriersincludedlackofaccesstotechnologyresources,lackofsupportfromadministratorsfortheuseoftechnology,andlackoftimetolearnandusethetechnology.”However,thereportindicatesthatthisbarrierisrapidlybecominglessprevalentwiththewidespreadpersonaluseofmobiledevicessuchastablets.“Byincorporatingtechnologiesthatpractitionersarefamiliarwith,thataredesignedtobeintuitivetouseandthatareuserfriendly,earlychildhoodproduct/programdeveloperscanbestensurethattheirtechnologieswillbeusedwithfidelity.”17Byprovidingamobiletouchscreentablettomothersearlyinthelifeoftheirchild,wegivethemampletimetobecomefamiliarwiththedeviceandtheapps.ChoosingAppropriateAppsAparent/guardian’sinabilitytoreadshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechildWeareworkingwithtechnologyproviderstocarefullycuratescalableapplicationcontentsuitableforallthelifestagesaddressedbyAppleseed.Onesuchprovider,ReadyRosie,“wascreatedtohelpschoolsandcommunitiesdeepenandscaletheirearlychildhoodparentengagementeffortsbyleveragingthepowerofvideomodelingandmobiletechnologytomeetandequipparentswheretheyare.”18
14
Thereareseveralkeyconsiderationsthathaveyettobeaddressedasweexplorecontentopportunities:
• Allappsshouldbemutuallybeneficialandengagingfortheparent/guardianandchildateverystage
• Effectivenessmustbemeasurable• Theappsshouldnotrequireaninternetconnection,butmustbeabletosync
updates
ProjectArchitecture
TheanticipatedAppleseedprojectpartnershipsareasfollows:Device:
AmazonKindleFire
15
Apps:
Curated/developedbyAppleseedandRowan-SalisburySchoolSystemTargetMarket:
Childrenages0-4ofat-riskmothers,parents/guardiansFunding: AlcornFamily Othercharitableorganizations/foundations StateofNC FederalprogramsDistributionChannels:
TheWileyLashHeadStartProgram,TheWOTFlemingHeadStartProgram,HeadStartofNorthCarolina
DataCaptureandAnalysis:
HeadStartandAppleseedRamp-Up:
ProjectadministratorswillstrivetoexpandtoALLRowanCountyHeadStartlocationsbyearly2017.DeliverySystemTheAppleseedwillbemadeavailabletomothersandfamiliesthroughEarlyHeadStartandHeadStart.Wearealsoworkingcloselywithcommunitychildandfamilyservicesproviders,particularlywithFamiliesFirstandSmartStartRowan,toidentifythemosteffectivechannelsforoutreach.FundingAparent/guardian’sinabilitytoaffordtoolsandresourcesshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechildTheAppleseedconceptspecificallydoesnotrequireInternetconnectivitytomakethedeviceaccessibletothosefamilieswithoutInternetservice.Itwillbedesignedtobeinfinitelyscalable,sothatasthechildgrows,Appleseeddevelopswiththem.There’snoriskofobsolescence.TheAlcornFamilyFoundationwillprovidefundingfortheAppleseedpilotwithrootsinRowanCounty,NorthCarolinaandthesurroundingcountieswherethereare
16
appropriateHeadStartprograms.Extendingtheprogramwillrequireadditionalfunding,mostlikelyintheformofagrantand/orgovernmentfunding.ThereareeightHeadStartprogramsinRowanCountyandtheadjoiningcounties,whichprovideeducationalservicesforapproximately1,098childrenunderfive.Thesechildrenandtheirfamiliesrepresentthetargetpopulationfortheproject.ChallengesandQuestionsThereareseveralchallengesandquestionsthatwefeelcanbeansweredwithinputfromourpoolofcontributorsandstakeholders.Theyinclude:
• Inclusion:1)howcanwedevelopthistooltoworkbestforchildrenwith
disabilities?2)howcanwecreatedevicesthatcanbeusedeasilybymothersandparents/guardianswithdisabilities?
• Usagemeasurementandtracking:Trackingiskeytoensurethetoolisbeing
usedeffectively,andtorevealknowledgegapsthatwecanstepinandsupport.Wearesearchingforthebestwaystomeasureusagedata.
• Datacollection:empiricaldatamaytakeupto7yearstoseetheimpacton
3rdgradereadingscores.
• Developmentofalockabledevice/applicationtoensuredataaccuracy.
• Sync:weneedamethodforupdatingnewcontentthatisconvenientandfast.
17
WHYAPPLESEED?“IgrewupinSalisbury.Asaslightlyabove-averageathletewithacar,Itookotherathleteshometotheprojectsandlow-incomeneighborhoods.Invitedintotheirhouses,Isawnobooksorotherreadingmaterialsandthetelevisionwasalwaysonineveryhome.Ialsosawdifficultfamilydynamics.IwouldincorrectlystatetomyfriendsthattheyhadthesameopportunitiesasIdid.Theysaidno.Theywereright.”
--GregAlcorn,Founder,TheAppleseedProject
Achild’sabilitytoreadisrootedinearlybraindevelopment.A2015studypublishedbytheAmericanSocietyofPediatricsproposesthatessentialreadingskills“emergepriortotheonsetoffluentreadingandarerefinedasonecontinuestolearn,suchthatlearningtoreadislikelyafacilitatorandanoutcomeofotherdevelopmentalprocesses,includingbrainmaturation.”19AccordingtotheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation,beginningdevelopmentallyappropriateliteracyprogramsatanearlyageisthemosteffectivepreventiveactionagainstreadingfailure.“Allofthedomainsofachild’sdevelopment—physical,social-emotional,cognitive,languageandliteracy—areinterrelatedandinterdependent.Youcan’tdoonewithouttheothers.”20
ThemajorityofstudentsattendingelementaryschoolsinSalisburywerenotreadingproficientbytheendofthirdgradein2015,accordingtotheNCDepartmentofPublicInstruction.
SalisburyElementarySchools
StateDole Hurley Isenberg Knollwood Koontz Overton
2015
Endof
Third
Grade
Reading
Proficient
AllStudents 20.5% 41.8% 33.8% 37.1% 43.7% 35.1% 59%
Black 13.9% 29.2% 23.5% 25% 34.1% 23.2% 42.2%
Hispanic 27.3% 23.5% 25% 25.4% 47.6% 38.5% 43.6%
White 25.9% 67.9% 54.5% 57.8% 66.7% 50% 72.3%
Economically
Disadvantaged17.4% 29.7% 27.5% 26.7% 42.5% 22% 44.9%
OurValueProposition
18
IncreatingtheAppleseedProject,weaimtodramaticallyimpactthesuccessrateofthird-gradeliteracytestsinSalisbury–andbeyond.OurgoalwiththeAppleseedProjectistoexceedthestateaverageinreadingproficiency,anddoublethereadingproficiencyofSalisburyelementaryschools.WewantSalisburytoleadthenationinreadingproficiencyforchildrenfromlow-SESenvironments.OurAspirationChilddevelopmentisadynamic,interactiveprocessthatisnotpredetermined.Itoccursinthecontextofrelationships,experiencesandenvironments.Poverty,hunger,familydynamicsandstressareallpotentialthreatstolearning.WebelievethattheAppleseedwillhelpamelioratethesethreats,levelingtheplayingfieldforlowSESchildren,andbeatoolforrealandlastingenrichment.
19
APPENDIXA
CourtesyofNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation
20
CourtesyofNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation
21
APPENDIXBProjectAppleseedParentalFeedbackCollectedJune15,2016WileyLashHeadStartCenter,Salisbury,NCTeachesearlyhowtomaneuveraroundanelectronic
Learninghowtodothingsinorder,fluency
Educational,ishelpingthemlearn
Atfirsthecouldn'tsaythealphabet,butnowcanuseALLtheletters
Likethematchinggame,islearningshapesandalphabet,letsthemreadmore,thebooksare
nicelengths
Learningcolors,sayingfoodnames
Likesthatalltheappsarepre-installed,nohassle
Thetwinswerebornearlyandspeechwasbehind,nowtheyarecatchingupl
Likesthatthetablettalkstohischild
Helpshimlearn
Keepsherattention
Helpsherlearnwhenshe'sincorrect
Likestrackingletters,tryingtolearntospellwords
Traceslettersandwordsandappliesittoreallife
Playswithituntilthebatteryisdead
Icanhearhersingingwiththetablet
Selfreadsandstarts"tripping"
Keepshimstill/educated
ltisagreathelp,startingtodotheentirealphabetwhereheusedtoskipletters
Writinghis"L"thecorrectwaynow,notbackwards
Sherecitestheappsandknowswhenshe'swrong
It’salleducationandcanhelphimadvancetothenextyear
Nochanceforhimforgettinganythingoverthesummer
Helpshimspeakmoreclearly
Ihaddoubtsatfirst,butnowit'sverypositiveforus
Idon'thavetogotothelibraryforhertolearnnumbers
22
REFERENCES1.Reardon,S.F.(2013,April27).Norichchildleftbehind.Retrievedfromhttp://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/no-rich-child-left-behind/?_r=02.Lee,V.E.,Burkam,D.T.(2002).Inequalityatthestartinggate:Socialbackgrounddifferencesinachievementaschildrenbeginschool.Washington,DC:EconomicPolicyInstitute.3.Aikens,N.L.,Barbarin,O.(2008)SocioeconomicDifferencesinReadingTrajectories:TheContributionofFamily,Neighborhood,andSchoolContexts,JournalofEducationalPsychology,v100(n2)pp.235-251.4.Ferdman,R.R.(2015,December17)OnlyinAmerica:Fouryearsintolife,poorkidsarealreadyanentireyearbehind.Retrievedfromhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/17/how-your-first-four-years-of-life-affect-the-rest-of-it/5.EarlyWarningConfirmed.Retrievedfromhttp://www.aecf.org/resources/early-warning-confirmed/6.Isaacs,J.B.(2012).Startingschoolatadisadvantage:Theschoolreadinessofpoorchildren.Washington,DC:TheBrookingsInstitution,p.3.7.Snow,C.(2005).Fromliteracytolearning.HarvardEducationLetter,July/August.8.Hernandez,D.(2011).Doublejeopardy:Howthird-gradereadingskillsandpovertyinfluencehighschoolgraduation.Baltimore:TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation,pp.3-4.9.Foster,W.(2015)PrivateInterview.10.Scott-ClaytonJ,Crosta,P.M.,BelfieldC.R.(2012)ImprovingtheTargetingofTreatment:EvidencefromCollegeRemediation.NBERWorkingPaperNo.18457JELNo.H75,I23,J24.Retrievedfromhttp://www.nber.org/papers/w18457.pdf11.Lee,V.E.,Burkam,D.T.(2002).Inequalityatthestartinggate:Socialbackgrounddifferencesinachievementaschildrenbeginschool.Washington,DC:EconomicPolicyInstitute.12.Retrievedfrom:http://first2000days.org/first-2000-days/brain-research/#.VpmjexHYWPo
13.Fernald,A,MarchmanV.A.,WeislederA.(2013)SESdifferencesinlanguageprocessingskillandvocabularyareevidentat18months.DevelopmentalScience.Mar;16(2):pp.234-248.
14.Retrievedfromhttps://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/pdfs/10yranniversary_Heckmanhandout.pdf15.Retrievedfromhttp://jenni.uchicago.edu/papers/Heckman_Moon_etal_2010_NBER_wp16180.pdf16.Lee,V.E.,Burkam,D.T.(2002).Inequalityatthestartinggate:Socialbackgrounddifferencesinachievementaschildrenbeginschool.Washington,DC:EconomicPolicyInstitute.17.Hernandez,M.W.,Estrera,E.,Markovitz,C.E.,Muyskens,P.,Bartley,G.,Bollman,K.,Kelly,G.&Silberglitt,B.(2015).UsesofTechnologytoSupportEarlyChildhoodPractice:ExecutiveSummary,OPREReport2015-38,Washington,DC:OfficeofPlanning,ResearchandEvaluation,AdministrationforChildrenandFamilies,U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.
23
18.Retrievedfromhttp://readyrosie.com/about-us-new/19.Houston,S.M.,Lebel,C,KatzirT,Manis,F.R.,Kan,E.,Rodriguez,G.R.,SowellE.R.(2014)Readingskillandstructuralbraindevelopment.Neuroreport.Mar26;25(5):pp.347–352.20.NationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch.(2006)EarlyLiteracy:PolicyandPracticeinthePreschoolYears.Retrievedfromhttp://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/10.pdf.
24
ADDITIONALRESOURCES
http://buildthefoundation.org
http://first2000days.org
http://ncliteracy.org
http://www.tapclickread.org
http://families-first.org
http://www.fi.ncsu.edu(TheWilliamandIdaFridayInstituteforEducational
innovation)
http://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov(NCStateBoardofEducation)
RowanReadstoNewborns:http://www.wbtv.com/story/30581588/rowan-reads-to-
newborns-aims-to-encourage-reading-at-the-earliest-possible-age
http://readyrosie.com
http://readingrockets.org
ZerotoThree,TheNationalCenterforInfants,ToddlersandFamilies
http://www.zerotothree.org
WestEd.orghttps://www.wested.org/area_of_work/early-childhood-development-
learning/