Uc Science Today

As America is becoming more culturally and ethnically diverse, researchers are trying to pin down the features of preschools to benefit all children. According to a new study by Bruce Fuller, professor of education at the University of California, Berkeley, African-American children get the most out of a high-quality, rigorous curriculum. “The biggest effect from academic-oriented preschool, the largest punch is felt by poor African American kids. They are ahead by three to four months relative to children that stay at home. ” The results for children from Latino families came out differently. "We did find modest social development on Latino kids from quality preschool, but we didn’t find same cognitive growth. Whether that’s a shortage of bilingual teachers, whether the quality of these programs for Latino kids is weak, we really are not sure.” Fuller says the study adds to the growing debate on what types of preschools should be nurtured in America to improve our pre-K education.