The Demise of Play in kindergarten

Action Alert’”NYTimes coverage of the Alliance’s Crisis in the Kindergarten

Dear friends of the Alliance,

In the Sunday, May 3 edition of the New York Times Magazine Peggy Orenstein writes about the rise of testing and academics and the demise of play in kindergarten. Her article, Kindergarten Cram, prominently features our Crisis in the Kindergarten report, quotes co-author Edward Miller, and makes a strong case for the restoration of play.

Maybe the current economic retrenchment will trigger a new perspective on early education, Orenstein writes, something similar to the movement toward local, sustainable, organic food. Call it Slow Schools. After all, part of what got us into this mess was valuing achievement, speed and results over ethics, thoughtfulness and responsibility.

The article is on the Times web site now. You’ll find it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03wwln-lede-t.html

If you are able, please consider e-mailing the article from the Times web site to your interested colleagues and friends. The more widely this piece is circulated, the more likely it is to have an effect on early childhood education policies and practice.

Warmly,

Joan Almon and Ed Miller
Alliance for Childhood

P.O. Box 444, College Park, MD 20741

Tel/Fax 301-779-1033

www.allianceforchildhood.org