A group of researchers from Yale University this week released recommendations for reducing the number of children expelled from state-sponsored preschool programs. But Michigan officials said Friday the state is already doing many of the things the report recommends and was represented as the example in the release of the report.

As a follow-up to a 2005 report on preschool expulsion rates, Yale researcher Walter Gilliam recommended seven policies that would reduce the number of children kicked out of state-sponsored preschool programs. Most of those recommendations addressed reducing stress for teachers and finding appropriate placements for students.

"We're actually doing a good job on them," Ms. Buch said. "We just have to keep it up as there is pressure to provide more programs for less money."

She noted, for instance, that the Michigan School Readiness Program is already more stringent than Mr. Gilliam's class size recommendation, allowing only eight students per teacher.   He had recommended no more than 10 students.

Mr. Gilliam also recommended the programs ensure sufficient break time and reasonable hours for teachers. "Teaching young children, especially those with challenging behaviors, can be a very stressful job," he said in the report. "Teachers with children at risk for expulsion reported higher levels of job stress, indicating a need for supportive services and policies aimed at reducing job stress among teachers."

Ms. Buch said her office has consultants who can provide recommendations for teachers who have particularly difficult students.

One area where the state is not as strong as it could be is in providing mental health consultants to the preschool programs. Mr. Gilliam recommended that all the programs have regular access to a mental health consultant, but the expulsion prevention program operates only 16 programs covering 31 counties.

State officials, and teachers, agree with Mr. Gilliam's assertion that, rather than being expelled, children with behavior and other problems in preschool programs should be moved to another, more appropriate setting.

Mr. Gilliam also recommended state and federal research to track children expelled from the programs as well as family and community factors and teacher training that might contribute to the risk for expulsion.

Source: Gongwer News Service, 1.11.0