I know there is a great deal of research out there supporting the “better late than early” philosophy, but I am coming up with almost nothing on searches.
This is, of course, inevitable since I am away from home on a different computer and trying to prepare a written testimony for tomorrow’s hearing.
I have found a couple of things, but not the thing I’m looking for. Dr. Moore’s site is just teasing me and inviting me buy the book.
Surely someone out there has this kind of thing handy and doesn’t mind leaving links in my comment box?
Thanks in advance for the wealth of information I know you have and the frustration it will save me!
And although it would be better early than late in this case, you are welcome to continue posting any and all relevant thoughts, links and quotes even after my testimony is prepared and submitted. Who knows what will find its way into future correspondence?
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For more information on LB 1141, you can click on the category LB 1141 and find everything I have written so far.
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
I know the Bluedorn’s at Triviumpursuit.com have some info. on late start. Here’s something on math: http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/research_on_teaching_math.php
Good luck, I’ll be praying for you!
I quoted him for the universal preschool site with a link to his World Congress address.
Good luck!
JJ
No advice, just prayers. Let us know how it went. Will be waiting to hear good news.
Dana, I sent a link from Dr. Moore — it’s in moderation!
Speaking of universal preschool….
This is some relatively recent research in the UK:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKELK83660520080208?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
The Moore website was moved around a couple of years ago and I understand your frustration trying to find articles. I tried going around it the back way.
http://www.moorefoundation.com/article.php?id=53
Scroll down to the article:
When Education Becomes Abuse
David Elkind’s article here:
Much Too Early
http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/david_elkind.html
Lillian Jones’ site (best..homeschooling) has some good articles in it.
Good thoughts for you folks in Nebraska.
Dana, you might find some interesting statistics on Alfie Kohn’s site.
Dana, There’s some really good stuff here — it’s long, but deals with the historical evidence, such as this summary:
Summary of the Historical Evidence
The material which we have read indicates that the formally teaching of arithmetic to young children was not practiced by the ancients, the medievals, nor up to modern times. In fact, it was common to withhold formal instruction in arithmetic until somewhere between the ages of fifteen and eighteen.
It was not until the sixteenth century that arithmetic began to be taught to children as young as age twelve, or even ten.
“It was Pestalozzi, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, who began to teach arithmetic to children as young as age six or seven, though the practice of waiting until age ten persisted well into the twentieth century.
So to wait until age ten to teach arithmetic is actually, from an historical perspective, to advocate an “early start.” It is only from a decidedly modern perspective – a provincial perspective – that waiting until age ten would appear to be a ‘late start.’ We have not discovered any material which might indicate the contrary.
The full article is here:
http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/research_on_teaching_math.php
I won’t be there tomorrow — we’ll be praying for you and for all, and for the best possible outcome on this!
Thank you all…and we’ll see what all gets squished in. I need to stop for tonight, else I fear it shall make sense to no one but me!
Anyway, I will post sometime tomorrow on what happened.
For future reference, Ruth Beechick talks about this. I know that she speaks of this in one of the “3 R’s” books, I just can’t find the book at the moment, not that it probably matters right now.
Praying all goes well today. My dh is looking at getting a job in NE.
Dana,
I own Better Late Thank Early and I’d be happy to type up anything from it you are looking for or I can call you to help determine the exact topic you are looking for? Just email me if you need more help with this.
Here are a few different quotes:
“Analysis of a recent Stanford-based study (111) suggests that state legislature that have voted schooling for all 4-,5-, or 6-year olds may have based their legislation on incomplete or misinterpretedc research. Yet the detrminations of these lawmakers often have been absolute. The parents must enroll their children in school at 5 or 6 or else face the threat of arrest.” —-Better Late than Early, page 22
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“The question is not only, “Is the child ready for school?” but even more important, “Will the early starter be as well or better motivated and less frustrated and anxiety ridden as the one who starts later?”
We do not blame earnest parents for being concerned about the mental alertness of their children in their early years. The child must not be reared in an environment barren of intellectual stimulation. But he must be free and feel warmth and security, and the home most often can satisfy these needs if the suggestions in the previous chapter are reasonably followed.
Nor should parents be greatly concerned about Benjamin Bloom’s assertion that half the child’s intellectual capacity is attained by age 4 and an additional 30% by his eighth year. As David Elkind points out, this does not mean that if he does not learn certain things early, he will not learn them later. The fact is, he will probably learn better later.—from Better Late Than Early, page 210
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“Educators, psychologists, sociologists, pediatricians, politicians, neurologists, publishers, toy makers, and teachers associations not to mention parents, have a stake in the young child. Some are fighting one another, others are trying to cooperate with one another. When the researcher enters the picture, he cannot possibly please all. They may not even allow him to explain. And sometimes, he has not explained clearly when he has had the chance. Or, he has not bothered to relate his findings to fellow researchers. So there is confusion and verbal cannibalism about ECE.
Meanwhile, those who hold the purse strings–or hope to — move on in what seems to be the expedient way, sometimes right, sometimes very wrong. Sometimes, they have little concern for the voice of research even when there is remarkable agreement among researchers. The result is planning and legislation for ECE based more on tradition and intuition, than on documented findings.
In industry, when planners engore researchers, the result fen is an unacceptable product. Yet too many ECE planners and legislators ignore research when they plan projects. Only they are experimenting with your youngsters. They often find sound research findings to be unpalatable, to interfere with their private ideas: as a result, they risk the welfare of children at gross costs to the family, not to mention the taxpayer. Even more unfortunately, the possible effects of their errors are not so clearly measurable or subject to control as the manufacturer of drugs or aircraft brakes, for example.” —from Better Late Than Early, Pgs. 205-206