A new way to get every child ready for kindergarten | Claudia Miner

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: Bruce Sung

I'm an historian.

我是歷史學家。

And what I love about being an historian is it gives you perspective.

我喜歡當歷史學家 是因為它帶來觀點。

Today, I'd like to bring that perspective to education in the United States.

今天，我想把這觀點 帶入美國的教育。

About the only thing people can agree on

人們唯一能夠達成的共識是

is that the most strategic time for a child to start learning

最佳的兒童開始學習時間是學前。

is early.

Over 50 years ago,

五十多年前，

there was a watershed moment in early education in the US

美國的學前教育 出現了一個分水嶺

called "Head Start."

叫做「Head Start」 （啟蒙方案）。

Now, historians love watersheds

歷史學家喜歡分水嶺，

because it makes it so easy to talk about what came before

因為它能夠容易區分

and what's happened since.

之前和之後的情況。

Before Head Start, basically nothing.

在 Head Start 之前 基本上什麼都沒有。

With Head Start,

透過 Head Start 開始為我國

we began to get our nation's most at-risk children ready for school.

處境最危險的兒童準備好上學。

Since Head Start, we've made strides,

Head Start 帶來了長足的進步，

but there are still 2.2 million children in the US

但美國仍有 220 萬名兒童

without access to early learning,

沒得到學前教育，

or more than half of the four-year-olds in the country.

超過我國四歲兒童的半數。

That's a problem.

那是個問題。

But the bigger problem is what we know happens to those children.

但更大的問題是我們知道 那些兒童的預後不良。

At-risk children who reach school without basic skills

他們日後上學時不具備基本的技能，

are 25 percent more likely to drop out,

輟學的可能性增加 25％，

40 percent more likely to become teen parents

成為未成年父母的可能性增加 40％，

and 60 percent less likely to go to college.

上大學的可能性減少 60％。

So if we know how important early education is,

既然我們知道它的重要性，

why aren't all children getting it?

為何有些兒童還是沒受學前教育呢？

There are barriers that the solutions we've come up with to date

迄今為止提出的解決方案

存在著無法克服的障礙。

simply can't overcome.

Geography: think rural and remote.

地理位置：偏鄉。

Transportation: think working parents everywhere.

上學的交通：父母得要工作。

Parent choice: no state requires a four-year-old to go to school.

家長的選擇：沒有任何一州 要求四歲的兒童必須得上學。

And cost: the average cost for a state to educate a preschooler

還有成本：各州教育 學齡前兒童的平均成本是

is five thousand dollars a year.

每年五千美元。

So am I just going to keep talking about problems?

難道我只繼續列舉有多麼困難嗎？

No.

不。

Today, I want to tell you about a cost-effective, technology-delivered,

今天，我將講述一個具成本效益、

以科技為基礎和可在家完成的 幼稚園準備計劃。

kindergarten-readiness program that can be done in the home.

It's called UPSTART,

它被稱為 UPSTART，

and more than 60,000 preschoolers in the US have already used it.

美國已有超過六萬名 學齡前兒童獲益。

Now, I know what you might be thinking:

我知道你們在想什麼：

here's another person throwing tech at a national problem.

又是一個嘗試以科技 解決我國問題的人。

And you'd be partially right.

你們有部分正確。

We develop early learning software designed to individualize instruction,

我們開發了個性化教學的 學前教育軟體，

so children can learn at their own pace.

讓兒童們按照自己的進度學習。

To do that, we rely on experts from fields ranging from reading to sociology

為此，我們倚賴各領域的專家——

閱讀、社會學、大腦發育 和各方面學前教育的專家——

to brain science development to all aspects of early learning,

to tell us what the software should do and look like.

來告訴我們這軟體該做什麼、 看起來該是什麼模樣。

Here's an example.

舉個例子。

(Video) Zero (sings to the tune of "Day-O"): Zero!

（影片）0（唱《Day-O》）：0！

Zero!

0！

Zero is the number that's different from the others.

0 與其他的數字不同。

Seagulls: Zero is a big, round "O."

海鷗：0 是一個大而圓的 「O」。

Zero: It's not like one, I'm sure you'll discover.

0：它不像 1 我相信你會發現。

Seagulls: Zero is a big, round "O."

海鷗：0 是一個大而圓的「O」。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Claudia Miner: That is "The Zero Song."

克勞迪婭•麥訥：那是《0 的歌》。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And here are Odd Todd and Even Steven to teach you some things about numbers.

有奇數陶德（Odd Todd） 和偶數史蒂芬（Even Steven）

教些關於數字的事。

And here are the Word Birds,

還有字鳥（Word Birds）教

and they're going to show you when you blend letter sounds together,

把字母的聲音混在一起就形成字。

you can form words.

You can see that instruction is short, colorful and catchy,

看得到該指令簡短、 色彩鮮豔、引人入勝，

designed to capture a child's attention.

旨在吸引兒童的注意力。

But there's another piece to UPSTART

但 UPSTART 的另一部分

that makes it different and more effective.

使它與眾不同和更有效。

UPSTART puts parents in charge of their children's education.

UPSTART 讓父母負責子女的教育。

We believe, with the right support,

有了正確的支持，我們相信

all parents can get their children ready for school.

父母全都能讓孩子為上學做好準備。

Here's how it works.

做法如下。

This is the kindergarten readiness checklist from a state.

這是某個州的幼稚園準備清單。

And almost every state has one.

幾乎每個州都有一份清單。

We go to parents wherever they are,

無論在哪裡，我們會和父母

and we conduct a key in-person group training.

進行一次關鍵的面對面培訓，

And we tell them the software can check every reading, math and science box,

告訴他們軟體能檢查每個閱讀、 數學和科學的框框，

but they're going to be responsible for motor skills and self-help skills,

但他們得要負責教 運動和自助的技能。

and together, we're going to work on social emotional learning.

我們將一起教孩子們 學習社交和情感。

Now, we know this is working

我們知道這有效，

because we have a 90-percent completion rate for the program.

因為我們的計劃完成率達到 90％。

Last year, that translated into 13,500 children

去年已有 13,500 名獲得

"graduating," with diplomas, from UPSTART.

畢業文憑的 UPSTART 兒童。

And the results have been amazing.

結果太棒了。

We have an external evaluation

外部的評估顯示

that shows our children have two to three times the learning gains

我們兒童的學習成績是

未參加此計劃兒童的二到三倍。

as children who don't participate in the program.

We have a random control trial that shows strong evidence of effectiveness,

我們有一項隨機對照的試驗 呈現卓著成效的有力證據。

and we even have a longitudinal study

我們還進行了一項縱向研究

that shows our children's gains last into third and fourth grade,

顯示我們兒童的好成績持續到 三年級和四年級，

the highest grades the children had achieved at the time.

這是目前兒童們上到的最高年級。

Those are academic gains.

這些都是學術成果。

But another study has shown that our children's social emotional gains

但另一項研究顯示 我們兒童的社交情商

are equal to those of children attending public and private preschool.

與上公私立幼稚園的兒童相同。

The majority of the 60,000 children who have participated in UPSTART to date

迄今為止，大多數 參加 UPSTART 的

六萬名兒童來自猶他州。

have been from Utah.

But we have replicated our results

但是我們在密西西比州的 非裔兒童中複製了結果——

with African-American children in Mississippi --

this is Kingston and his mother;

這是金斯敦和他的母親；

with English language learners in Arizona --

亞利桑那州學習英語的

this is Daisy and her family;

黛西和她的家人；

with refugee children in Philadelphia -- this is my favorite graduation photo;

與費城的難民兒童——

這是我最喜歡的畢業照；

and with Native American children

以及美國一些最偏遠地區的 美洲原住民兒童。

from some of the most remote parts of the United States.

This is Cherise, and this is where she lives in Monument Valley.

這是住在紀念碑谷的雪瑞。

Now, there are skeptics about UPSTART.

有人對 UPSTART 存疑。

Some people don't believe young children should have screen time.

有人不認為應該給幼童用電腦。

To them, we say:

我們對他們的答覆是：

UPSTART 每週五天， 每天 15 分鐘的使用要求，

UPSTART's usage requirement of 15 minutes a day, five days a week,

is well within the hour-a-day recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics

落在美國兒科學會建議給 四歲兒童的每天不超過一小時之內。

for four-year-olds.

Some people believe only site-based preschool can work,

有些人認為只有送去幼稚園才行。

and to them, we say: site-based preschool is great,

我們的答覆是：上幼稚園很棒，

but if you can't get a child there or if a parent won't send a child there,

但是如果住的地方離幼稚園很遠 或是父母不把孩子往那裡送，

isn't a technology-delivered, results-based option a great alternative?

那麼我們所提供的技術 是不是個好選項呢？

And we love working with site-based preschools.

我們也喜歡與幼稚園合作。

Right now, there are 800 children in Mississippi

現在密西西比州有八百名兒童

going to Head Start during the day

在白天前往 Head Start，

and doing UPSTART at night with their families.

還在晚上與家人 一起做 UPSTART。

Our audacious idea is to take UPSTART across the country --

我們的大膽主意是 將 UPSTART 帶到全國各地——

not to replace anything;

不是要取而代之，

we want to serve children who otherwise would not have access to early education.

而是希望服務那些 沒接受學前教育的兒童。

We have the guts to take on the skeptics,

我們有勇氣與懷疑的人較量，

we have the energy to do the work,

我們有充沛的精力去做，

and we have a plan.

我們還有計劃。

It is the role of the states to educate their children.

教育孩童是各州的責任。

So first we will use philanthropy dollars

因此我們將先用慈善資金

啟動州政府進行試點計劃 以及收取數據。

to go into a state to pilot the program and get data.

Every state believes it's unique

各州都自認獨一無二，

and wants to know that the program will work with its children

在把錢投入計劃之前 希望確定它會對孩童有用。

before investing.

Then we identify key leaders in the state to help us champion UPSTART

所以我們找出州內的關鍵領導人 來幫助和倡議支持 UPSTART

as an option for unserved children.

作為得不到學前教育的兒童的選項。

And together, we go to state legislatures

然後我們一起去州立法機構，

to transition UPSTART from philanthropy

將 UPSTART 從慈善事業

to sustainable and scalable state funding.

轉為由可持續、 可擴展的政府資金支持。

That plan has worked --

那個計劃奏效了......

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thanks.

謝謝。

Thank you.

謝謝。

That plan has worked in three states to date:

到目前為止，該計劃 已在三個州展開：

Utah, Indiana and South Carolina.

猶他州、印第安納州 和南卡羅來納州。

We've also piloted the program in a number of states

我們還在多個州試行和找出倡議者。

and identified champions.

Next, we're moving to states with the greatest geographic barriers

接下來，我們將移到 地理障礙最大的州來實施。

to work the plan,

and then on to states that already have early education

然後到那些已有學前教育

but may not be getting great academic results

但學術成績可能不佳

or great parent buy-in to participate.

或缺少多數家長參與和支持的州。

From there, we go to the states

然後我們會前往需要 最多數據和說服的州，

that are going to require the most data and work to convince,

and we'll hope our momentum helps turn the tide there.

希望我們的動能有助於 扭轉當地的局勢。

We will serve a quarter of a million children in five years,

我們將在五年內為 25 萬名兒童服務，

and we will ensure that states continue to offer UPSTART to their children.

確保各州繼續為其孩童 提供 UPSTART。

Here's how you can help:

你們可以幫忙：

for two thousand dollars,

用兩千美元

we can provide a child with UPSTART, a computer and internet,

可提供一名兒童 UPSTART、 電腦和網際網路，

and that child will be part of the pilot

該兒童將成為其他兒童

that makes certain other children get UPSTART in the future.

將來獲得 UPSTART 先期測試的一部分。

We also need engaged citizens to go to their government

我們還需要參與的公民 去說服他們的政府

and say just how easy it can be to get children ready for school.

讓兒童們準備好上學有多麼容易。

You wouldn't be here if you weren't an engaged citizen,

你們是熱心參與的公民 所以今天人在這裡，

so we're asking for your help.

因此我們懇請你們幫忙。

Now, will all of us this make UPSTART a watershed moment in early education?

我們一起能讓 UPSTART 成為學前教育的分水嶺嗎？

I believe together we can make it one.

我相信我們能夠攜手共創。

But I can tell you without a doubt

但毫無疑問，我能告訴你們，

that UPSTART is a watershed moment

UPSTART 是若干兒童 生命中的一個分水嶺，

in the life of a child who otherwise would not be ready for school.

否則他們將無法準備好去上學。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）