In 2005, Dr. Walter Gilliam, a researcher from Yale University, released a study examining the expulsion rates of preschoolers. That’s right — expulsion. As in kicked out. Dr. Gilliam found that in his large, nationally representative sample of prekindergarten programs, preschoolers were being expelled at THREE TIMES the rate of students in grades K-12.
Are preschoolers really three times as difficult as their older counterparts?
I don’t think so.
There are many factors that contribute to this elevated rate of expulsions. Gilliam outlined several in a presentation he made at an NAEYC conference in 2009. (*Slide presentation now located here.) All deserve our consideration as we create quality early childhood programs, but two in particular catch my attention. [Read more…]