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Health & Fitness

Why Elmbrook Should Offer 4K

Why the benefits of 4K far outweigh the drawbacks

Editor's Note: This is an opinion blog by an election candidate for Elmbrook School Board. All election candidates are invited to write opinion blogs on Brookfield Patch.
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Tomorrow, the Elmbrook School Board will continue its discussion on whether or not to reinstate 4K in the Elmbrook Schools. Three weeks ago, observers saw the measure of board support for the program shown on Jan. 10th fade into majority opposition, as members raised a number of questions regarding effectiveness, cost and the burden the program might place on an elementary system currently in flux. While these are valid concerns, closer examination reveals that the benefits of 4K far outweigh the drawbacks. In fact, reintroducing a high-quality 4K program would have profound benefits for our students, our district and our community.

The effectiveness of 4K is often questioned on the grounds that district data shows no statistically significant achievement score differences between students who participated in the expanded pilot program in 2007-08 and those who did not. However, a finding of no significance does not mean that the variable being tested (here, Elmbrook 4K) has no effect, but that there is not sufficient evidence to draw definite conclusions, usually because the data set is not large enough (in this case, the sample size could only detect an 18 percent or greater difference between groups, an incredibly large difference for any single intervention to achieve). In fact, rigorous studies of universal pre-K indicate that high-quality programs provide significant short- and long-term academic benefits to students of all abilities across the economic spectrum, boosting kindergarten performance, lowering rates of grade retention and special education, and strengthening positive cognitive and social outcomes thoroughout elementary school and beyond

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4K also provides immeasurable benefits to students by fostering the development of so-called ‘soft’ skills. Far from being secondary to quantifiable skills like cognitive aptitude, research shows that these skills, such as creativity, self-confidence, self-discipline, persistence, motivation, dependability and the ability to work with others, actually have a more powerful predictive value on long-term achievement levels and lifelong success than IQ; this is especially true in an economic climate where success often depends on one’s ability to quickly adapt to change. The development of these skills is already a central tenet of the district’s non-academic curricular and co-curricular offerings (such as fine arts and athletics); 4K, with its emphasis on collaborative and cooperative play as a vehicle for learning, nurtures these skills from an earlier age, ensuring that students are better able to adapt to the challenges and expectations they will face both in school and throughout their adult lives.

The benefits of 4K to the health of the district are also substantial. Currently, the district faces declining enrollment and a projected five-year budget shortfall of over $7 million, with yearly deficits of $36,000 to $2.19 million. If deliberate reductions in non-resident enrollment continue without action to support and increase resident enrollment, the district may soon find itself in a position where it does not have the finances or the enrollment numbers to sustain our two recently renovated high schools. 4K was a key element of both packages recommended by the Enrollment Management Study Team, and while adding the program will not fully resolve our financial and enrollment issues, it will mitigate the need to address these deficits through dramatic programmatic and staffing cuts, an additional school closing, and/or another operational override referendum. 4K will cost the average homeowner an additional $70/year in property taxes, but the outcomes of not providing the program are profoundly negative, damaging and potentially more costly alternatives to the positive educational, financial and enrollment implications of providing 4K.

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Reinstating 4K would also be an important step toward rebuilding trust between the district and current elementary school families. Throughout the school closing debate, parents were continually reassured that closing a school would not endanger the ability of the district to offer a high-quality 4K program in every elementary school. It should come as no surprise, then, that many parents see the rejection of 4K not as a prudent response to institutional and financial upheaval, but as a lack of will to maintain and invest in our elementary schools. Years of research support high-quality universal 4K as both a solid foundation for educational excellence and a fiscally responsible use of public funds; in other words, it is both effective and cost-effective. Committing to 4K would reaffirm our dedication to excellence and continuous improvement and fulfill our obligation to safeguard the investments that have already been made by the community. By providing our youngest residents with a strong start, we can begin to provide our district with a strong future.

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