Dist. 21 finds full-day kindergarten helps students succeed

Students in Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 who had full-day kindergarten this past school year on average performed better than students who attended half-day kindergarten, officials said.

The district used Title I funding to provide full-day kindergarten at Twain and Whitman schools. Kindergarten was extended by 30 minutes at Field and Frost schools. Next year, Field School will have full-day kindergarten.

Jason Klein, chief information officer for the district, said 74 percent of the full-day students met or exceeded standards, while 68 percent of the half-day students met or exceeded standards. The students performed at a higher level in both literacy and math, even though the full-day kindergarten schools had more low-income students.

"There's limited Title I funds," Klein said. "We looked at the schools with the highest needs."

Full-day kindergarten became a key part of the District Improvement Plan and staff members have been working with principals and school improvement teams to implement the program, he said.

"The parents were very excited," said Raquel Kim, who made a presentation related to the Title I funds at the school board meeting June 18. Kim said the district has received a positive response from parents about moving to a full-day kindergarten program this past school year at Whitman and Twain schools.

According to a district memo, the percentage of low income students in District 21 continues to grow. As of May 2015, 62.2 percent of students in the district qualify for free or reduced cost lunches. The district's goal was to provide full-day kindergarten to students who attend the elementary schools with the highest poverty rates.