An educational approach focused on the
development of children's executive functions - the ability to avoid
distractions, focus attention, hold relevant information in working memory, and
regulate impulsive behavior - improved academic learning in and beyond
kindergarten, according to a new study by researchers at NYU's Steinhardt
School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Because some effects were especially
pronounced in high-poverty schools, the findings hold promise for closing the
poverty-related achievement gap and suggest that an emphasis on executive
functions in kindergarten may reduce poverty-linked deficits in school
readiness. The findings are published online in the journal PLOS ONE.
"Working memory and the ability to
control attention, both important components of executive functions, enable
children to focus and process information more efficiently. Our results suggest
that a combined focus on executive functions and early academic learning
provides the strongest foundation for early success in school," says
Clancy Blair, professor of applied psychology at NYU Steinhardt and the study's
principal investigator.
Effective early education is critical for
academic achievement, especially for children in poverty, whose socioeconomic
status leaves them vulnerable to gaps in achievement. Recent advances in
neuroscience suggest that focusing on self-regulation - which includes
executive functions and regulating one's emotions - can enhance children's
engagement in learning and put them on an upward academic trajectory.
Tools of the Mind is a research-based
educational program that blends a curriculum of literacy, math, and science
with child-directed activities and structured make-believe play. Using Tools of
the Mind, teachers organize and manage instruction so that children build
self-regulation skills through interactions with classmates, supporting the
development of executive functions.
While Tools of the Mind was previously
tested in preschools, with mixed results reported, this study is the first to
evaluate the program's use in kindergarten. In a two-year randomized controlled
trial, the researchers studied 759 children in 29 Massachusetts schools,
comparing the Tools of the Mind program with typical kindergarten curricula. In
addition to measuring academic achievement and changes in executive functions,
the researchers also took saliva samples to measure cortisol and alpha amylase,
two indicators of stress response.
When compared with their peers in control
classrooms, the researchers found that Tools of the Mind improved participants'
academic achievement, including math, reading, and vocabulary. Remarkably, the
gains seen in kindergarten were sustained and increased into the first grade in
reading and vocabulary, suggesting that programs that improve self-regulation
in children can have long-term benefits.
Kindergartners in the Tools of the Minds
classrooms were also better at paying attention in the face of distractions,
had better working memory and executive functions, and processed information
more efficiently. In saliva samples, the researchers found evidence of
increases in stress response physiology, indicating that children in the Tools
of the Mind classrooms were more engaged physiologically as well as
cognitively.
"To date, decisions about the most
effective ways to foster learning in early childhood have not fully capitalized
on advances in the neuroscience of executive functions, particularly for
children in poverty," says C. Cybele Raver, professor of applied
psychology at NYU Steinhardt and the study's co-principal investigator.
"The ability to control impulses and
regulate behaviors and emotions is a critical function to build into early
childhood education, ensuring children's success in both gaining knowledge and
learning life skills."
The researchers noted that Tools of the Mind
can be implemented using typical professional development activities, and
without a high level of additional resources and support, an important
consideration for high-poverty schools.
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