Step 3: Research Draft #1

“Early learning begets later learning and early success breeds later success, just as early failure breeds later failure.”
- James J. Heckman, Ph.D.

Our nation is making a tragic mistake. Insufficient funding for early childhood programs is creating a downward spiral in our society. This great Nation’s future hangs in the balance, and ignoring the problem will only devastate America’s future even more. State and Federally funded programs offer children early learning opportunities. By providing children with the tools they need to be successful, America will reap the benefits sooner than one would expect. Although additional funding for early childhood programs would require more money from taxpayers, assisting these non-profit programs would be beneficial because it would educate parents, help children with special needs, offer quality preschool education to every child, and help our economy by increasing employment rates.

Parent Education is vital to healthy child development and success. The majority of parents have no prior child development experience or education. ‘Parents as Teachers’ is a national organization dedicated to educating parents. They provide parents with tools and resources necessary to raise a healthy child. The ‘Parents as Teachers’ Parent Educators are specially trained in a child’s development from ages 0-5. They conduct monthly home visits and assess the child’s physical, cognitive and social development by interacting with the parent and child. They educate and provide parents with printouts of ideas and activities that help their child be successful in every area of development.

Programs, such as ‘Parents as Teachers,’ give children a better chance in life. Children and parents, who do not participate in a program such as this one, miss many important opportunities. Some children have developmental delays and are not recognized until they are enrolled in school at 5 years of age or even later. ‘Parents as Teachers’ Educators are trained in recognizing delays, and if diagnosed at an early age, may aid in preventing a child from being put in special education programs later in life.

A study by performed by Edward Ziglar, Judy Pfannenstiel and Victoria Seitz proves that the ‘Parents as Teachers’ (PAT) program aids children in school readiness. The PAT program has proven many beneficial results. It has shown to aid in the overall relationship between parent and child by training parents in positive “parenting practices.” Additionally, the longer the duration of program participation, the better the results showed in overall success for involved families. Parent participants of the PAT program were more likely reading to their children and also more likely to enroll their child in preschool, in effect, aiding in “subsequent academic achievement and school readiness.”

The first three to five years of a child's life is the most optimal time for learning. A child’s brain grows a tremendous amount in the first three years of life. In that short amount of time, a child’s brain has already produced billions of cells and has had trillions of synapses, or brain connections. In fact, in all the years of a human’s life, the brain is most active in the very beginning. According to Zerotothree.org, The National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, a child’s brain grows at an enormous rate in the first five years of life. In fact, the brain grows to about 90 percent of an adult size, by its 5th birthday. Knowing this, why does the public school system wait until a child is five years old to begin funding the teaching and learning process? If a child’s brain grows and learns the best in the first five years of life, then we should assume that would be the best time to educationally enrich it.

Universal preschool education would not only help children from lower income households. Experts in the field of education have recognized the benefits for all children, even those who don’t come from less fortunate households. Gifted children come from all types of backgrounds, including higher income families. James J Gallaher, an exceptional and gifted child educator, writes “If we believe in early admittance to school, this is a fine way to identify potential early admitters who have become bored with bead stringing and drawing pictures and wish to exercise the reading and math skills that they already have developed.” This would be a chance to discover and recognize a gifted child at an earlier age. Recognizing a gifted child prevents a child from missed learning opportunities and becoming uninterested in school.

According to Harvard graduate Jerrold Oppenheim and former teacher and social worker Theo MacGregor , founders of Democracy and Regulation, the benefits of universal preschool are exceedingly great. With an earlier start at education, there will be lower high school drop out rates, more jobs, and a high return rate for the tax payers. In effect, investing in programs that give children an earlier start at learning will cause a dramatic decline in crime rates, and cause less people to be dependent on public assistance programs such as cash assistance and food stamps. In addition, the children who get an earlier, quality start in school will be more likely to succeed. The overall need of dependency based, government funded programs will be eliminated.


Linda Jacobson, editor for Education Week, reviewed a study performed in Chicago twenty years ago. She found that the economical return was ten times the amount originally invested in the children it was meant to benefit. Society earned the benefits by keeping kids out of jail and in school later on in their lives. The economical benefits are boundless and this has been proven in this article. By investing in children at a young age, society will bring in the benefits in vast amount of ways in the future. By neglecting a child’s education when they are best able to learn, our society is neglecting our nation in the long run.


Some organizations believe that everything aside from the current public school education system should be parent, not government, responsibility. Government funding of early childhood programs has its opposition. The proponents have a completely different philosophy on the topic of early educational learning programs. They do not believe that early education is helping all children and if not all the children are being uplifted by these programs, they don’t feel that public funding should be implemented. One example of this is Darcy Olsen, President and CEO of the Goldwater Institute and opponent of additional government funding early education programs, believes that early education makes little difference for “main stream children.”

John Stossel, Catherine Brosseau, and Andrew Kirell with ABC News recently reported on a story called: ‘Universal Pre-K: This Whole Thing Is a Scam. Does Free Preschool for Every Child Deserve Taxpayer Money?’ The story was based on the many people who side against government funded preschool education and the waste of money involved. The story participants are convinced that families can do a better job with their kids than potential government funded programs. Some believe that if the current public school system has failed the nation’s children, they have little faith that government funded pre-k will be any better. In effect, this is a waste of tax payer dollars.

The opportunity to make a difference for this nation’s future is now. Now is the time to change its direction. The current education system is not working. Real evidence proves that a child’s brain is the most active and capable of learning in the first 5 years of its life. Government funding for an earlier start is not only a desire for our nation’s children, but a necessity. By giving them a head start in the right direction, the benefits for our society will be limitless. Economic crisis or not, if this nation wants to prevent anymore economical decline, it’s got to start with the little people. They are the future. Let’s invest in that.

Works Cited



Gallagher, J James. "Another Opportunity-Preschool Education. " Roeper Review 29.4 (2007): 231. ProQuest Education Journals. ProQuest. UAF. Rasmuson Library. Fairbanks, AK.. 7 Mar. 2009 http://www.proquest.com/

Jacobson, Linda. "Pre-K Offers Economic Value Into Adulthood, Study Finds. " Education Week 11 Jun 2008: 8. ProQuest Education Journals. ProQuest. UAF. Rasmuson Library. Fairbanks, AK. 7 Mar. 2009 http://www.proquest.com/

Oppenheim, Jerrold, MacGregor, Theo. "The Economics of Education: Public Benefits of High-Quality Preschool Education for Low-Income Children. Building Communities for Change.” Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families. (Nov. 2002): 1-32. First Search. ERIC. UAF Rasmuson Library, Fairbanks, AK. 5 Mar. 2009 http://www.eric.ed.gov/


Olsen, Darcy. “Assessing Proposals for Preschools and Kindergarten: Essential Information for Parents, Taxpayers, and Policymakers.” Policy Report. 8 Feb. 2005 http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/common/files/multimedia/920.pdf

Stossel John, Brosseau Cathering, and Kirell Andrew. “Universal PreK: This Whole Thing Is a Scam.” ABC News. 13 March 2009. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=7070646&page=1

Zero to Three. “When is the brain fully developed. FAQ’s” ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families. 5 Mar.2009 http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_brainFAQ

Ziglar Edward, Pfannenstielv Judy and Seitz Victoria. “The Parents as Teachers Program and School Success: A Replication and Extension. The Journal of Primary Prevention. (March 2008) 29. 103-120. SpringerLink. UAF Rasmuson Library. Fairbanks, AK. 19 March 2009. http://www.springerlink.com

Week 9 - Grammar Girl Response

Grammar Girl’s advice has been helpful in all areas of my writing. Last time I listened to her advice, I learned wrong ways to use commas. This week’s episode, #49, taught about run on sentences. Grammar Girl explains that a lot of people may believe that run on sentences are really long sentences, but she goes on to show that there is more to run on sentences than meets the eye. She explains that run on sentences are those which do not have enough punctuation. Run on sentences can be long and short. Without correct punctuation, these types of sentences can confuse a reader, and can actually change the meaning of certain sentences.

I know that I do not have a major problem with using run on sentences. I am sure that I have created a run on sentence a time or two, but I think overall I’m pretty good at avoiding them. I have more trouble using the correct punctuation every time, and knowing which punctuation would be best. I know where the needed pauses are and why we need punctuation to help the sentence make more sense to the reader. Grammar Girl’s advice will help me avoid unnecessary run on sentences in the future.

Essay #2 Final Draft

Misdiagnosed and Over-Medicated

Today an estimated six million American children are currently taking some sort of psychiatric medication. According to Frontline’s Marcela Garviria, 1 million of those are being treated specifically for a condition called bipolar disorder. In the past decade, pediatric mental illness diagnosis has risen a surprising 4,000%, and in most of those cases the children were diagnosed as bipolar. Although mental illnesses are evident among children in today's society, misdiagnosis is causing kids to become over-medicated because parents are not giving doctors correct information, doctors are too often offering a quick fix, and medical professionals are failing to accept new alternative treatments.


Some parents, who feel that their child’s behavior is beyond their control, will find a physician that will prescribe medication for their child. A child who has been misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, for example, and takes medication for it - will become lethargic and zombie-like. This, in effect, will make the parents’ job easier. They no longer have an energetic child who will present a challenge. Some parents, when in the doctor’s office, will actually exaggerate their child’s symptoms, so the doctor will be more likely to prescribe the quick fix medication. Unnecessary medication will indeed transform their child, and create adverse side effects. Unfortunately, this is one example of parents providing doctors with misinformation for personal gain.


If parents cannot figure out how to control their kids, there are doctors who can provide the perfect, fix-it quick, pill. Unfortunately, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, provides no information of how to diagnose bipolar disorder in children, yet every day doctors are prescribing medication for children to aid in mental health issues, providing a quick fix for parents. Rebecca Riley died of a psychiatric drug overdose at only 4 years of age. In Katie Couric’s story featured on CBS 60 Minutes, she reported that Rebecca was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the tender age of 2. According to her mother, Rebecca “had difficulty sleeping and seemed hyperactive.” The doctor prescribed Rebecca to ingest 10 pills a day, because supposedly “she was driving her mother insane.” Realistically, Rebecca died from drugs that were meant to give her mother more peace and sanity.


Still, to this day, little clinical research has been done on children and the long term effects of most psychiatric drugs are still unknown. Parents and doctors continue to make the decision to medicate children, without any attempt to utilize alternative treatments first. There are many available alternative treatments that don’t get enough consideration or credit. According to the National Mental Health Information Center, some alternative treatments include: nutrition & diet, counseling/self-help, expressive therapies, and relaxation techniques.


The psychiatrists prescribing these medications claim that these mental disorders have always been around, but they are just now recognizing symptoms and treatments for them. Since there are no actual tests for psychiatric disorders, doctors are admittedly hypothesizing. Every case is different and doctors must experiment with a variety of adult medication in each individual case. Their goal is to see how the patient reacts to a specific medication. This is done through behavior evaluation, usually performed by parents. Doctors can then provide a diagnosis.

Dr. Kiki Chang, M.D., Assistant Professor and Director of Mood Disorders at Stanford, is researching, and a proponent to, the early detection and prevention of bipolar disorder. Dr. Chang uses “neuroimaging” to detect brain reactions. His research shows that a specific part of the brain of a potential bipolar child is actually smaller than that of healthy child. His philosophy includes putting a child, who is at higher risk of developing the disorder, on medication sooner. He believes that this may actually prevent a development of the full blown disorder.

Professor of Psychiatry Joseph Biederman, MD of Harvard University is a highly respected child psychiatrist who advocates medicating children. According to The Boston Globe, child psychiatrist Dr. Biederman believes and advocates that bipolar symptoms can develop in a newborn baby thus warranting future treatment.

Long term side effects are still unknown, because there hasn’t been enough data collected; however, short term effects of medicating children are being recognized. Some of these adverse effects can become permanent even when the medication is discontinued. Tics, involuntary body spasms, are one side effect of some psychiatric medications. Even after discontinuing the medication causing them, in some cases the tics have continued, thus becoming a permanent side effect. Other side effects include dependency, weight gain, diabetes, and anxiety. Additional medications are usually prescribed to counteract these side effects.

Sedated, overmedicated, and misdiagnosed, children are being drugged by parents and doctors on a daily basis. Unfortunately, some parents are taking the easy way out and providing doctors with false or exaggerated information in hopes of a quick solution, and most doctors are willing to provide it. Obviously some children truly need psychiatric medications, but the majority of the medicated population isn't being offered alternative treatments. Doctors are prematurely diagnosing and offering medication as a first resort and while short term side effects are recognized, what will be the long term effects 20 years from now?





Garviria, Marcela. “The Medicated Child.” Frontline. 8 Jan. 2008. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/

DSM-IV – TR Index “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” http://www.dsmivtr.org/

Couric, Katie. “What Killed Rebecca Riley.” CBS NEWS 30 Sep. 2007.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/28/60minutes/main3308525.shtml

National Mental Health Information Center. “Alternative Approaches to Mental Health Care” SAMHSA http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/KEN98-0044/default.asp

Chang, Kiki., and Pedersen, Lisa. “Offspring Studies Seek Early Markers.” 10 Apr. 2003. http://www.bpkids.org/site/DocServer/changoffspringstudies.pdf?docID=143

Allen, Scott. “Backlash on bipolar diagnosis in children, MGH psychiatrist’s work stirs debate.” The Boston Globe 17 June 2007. http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2007/06/17/backlash_on_bipolar_diagnoses_in_children/

Week 7&8 - Reading Response #3

The United States distributes fliers to inform its employees of the diverse population that reside in America. Their goal is to educate people who are ignorant of different cultures in attempt to avoid religious and racial discrimination. Their goal of distributing this helpful information is to regain respect for all nationalities regardless of their religion. They also want to inform their workers that not all people wearing a head covering are going to create terrorism.

Unfortunately, due to the 9/11 attacks, crimes have been committed against people who resemble a Middle Eastern person with an Islamic religion faith. That fact is sad, but is realistic discrimination. By educating people, the government’s hope is to prevent anymore discrimination or prejudice among its employees.

The pictures in this visual argument are important for the overall point, because they show real people who are here in America wearing some sort of head covering. Their purpose in displaying the pictures is to give some common ground to the viewer. One picture shows a child who would relate to parents. A second picture shows someone graduating and that would relate to a lot of viewers as well. By helping the viewer relate with the people pictured, they hope to make them more accepting of the harmless head wear.

Without the actual pictures, this flyer would be pointless. By just having text on the flyer it wouldn’t show the reader what exactly they are intending to portray. People need a mental image if they are going to make fair judgments and by seeing actual people wearing the head coverings, they may be more tolerant.

Being provided by the ‘American Arab Anti discrimination Committee’ gives this visual argument more credibility, because it is backed by an official group of people who recognize the prejudices in American today. They are a real group working to prevent discrimination. It wouldn’t be enough if it were put together by just one person.

Week 7&8 - Reading Response #2

In “Gay Asian-American Male Seeks Home,” Han’s essay is clear that he is against the way Asian men are portrayed in the media and America in general. He does not appreciate how Asian men are portrayed not only to look weak, but undesirable as well. Being a gay Asian male is even worse in his opinion, because the combination of being gay and Asian makes the stereotype even worse.

In his opinion, our society and media portrays white men as masculine. Now over the past few years, Han believes that even gay, white men are made to look like super studs. He doesn’t like that the Gay American male gets the respect while the Gay Asian Male is being rejected not only by American culture, but their own Asian culture as well. It appears, after reading this essay that it’s bad enough to be “marginalized” down to nothing in today’s American society, but the Asian community rejects them as well.

He explains the influences around the Asian gay males have caused them to conform to the “stereotypes” given to them. It has also led them more vulnerable to “unsafe sex” and diseases because they don’t have enough support available to them. In his opinion, it is apparent that gay, Asian males are getting the short end of the stick.

Han’s essay provides interesting information. Admittedly, I am a bit ignorant to Asian culture, but I don’t agree with his point of view. I can’t think of one gay Asian male, I have seen, from any TV related media. When I imagine an Asian male, I think of Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee, both are strong, fearless and masculine.

Week 7&8 - Reading Response #1

The essay written by Myriam Marquez, “Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public,” provides good reasons for different ethnic groups not speaking English in public. Myriam explains that her family has been in the United States for over the past 40 years. Her family speaks and understands English; however, two reasons they speak Spanish in public are to keep close to their cultural traditions by using their native language, and out of pure “respect” for one another.

Myriam acknowledges the feelings that some non-Spanish speakers may have. She realizes that there are people who get offended when her family, or other Spanish speaking people, converse in their native tongue while in public. Undoubtedly, there are paranoid people who think that anyone not speaking English, in their presence, might actually be gossiping about them. While she accepts that fact, she promises to stay true to her heritage, and to be respectful to her family regardless of her location.

Even though she is determined to continue speaking publicly to her family in Spanish, Myriam is also considerate of non-Spanish speakers as well. She explains that if a non-Spanish speaker is in her family’s presence, she will willingly change to speaking English to avoid being inconsiderate. She is also respectful to non-Spanish speaker friends or acquaintances who are around her, because she will not converse in Spanish with another Spanish speaker who is also present. She said that it’s “rude” for people to do that.

There are many non-English speakers in the United States, and Americans should be more tolerant and understanding of that fact. By not accepting another person’s language in public, they are basically expecting that individual to deny their culture and heritage. If there were two Americans in a foreign country, it would seem right for them to speak English to one another, even in public, if that is what feels most comfortable for them.

Week 7&8 - Grammar Girl Response

I found Grammar Girl’s Comma Splice Episode very helpful. I didn’t know what a comma splice was before listening and reading her advice about them. I now understand that comma splices are considered comma mistakes. I learned a few things that I didn’t know before that episode.

I learned that commas shouldn’t be used to divide, what could be two separate sentences. I know that I have made the mistake of using a comma when I should have been using a period or a semi-colon. I have over used commas in the past for exactly that reason. I didn’t fully understand what commas were for, until now.

The next time I write a paper, I will be more conscience of comma splices. I will be more careful not to add a comma where it doesn’t belong. Commas are meant to give better meaning to a sentence by adding a pause and to prevent confusion. I now realize that periods and semi-colons are made for the same reason. I need to be sure that I am using the right punctuation for its originally intended purpose. I will look deeper into my writings, and make sure that I don’t make anymore comma splice offenses. I will add either a period or a semicolon in the spots necessary. I can also add a coordinating conjunction after a comma, if it makes sense within the sentence.

Looking back at my previous essays, I notice there were times that I made comma splice mistakes. The article by Grammar Girl will hopefully prevent anymore major mistakes in the future, on my part. Her proofreading tips will also help me catch future comma splices. I have found each episode to be a great learning experience and very helpful for my writing skills.