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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW OHSU opens rural 'hub' campus in Klamath Falls ... Portland dispensary fined $2,500 for handing out products in parking lot ... Surveillance video captures Medford surgery center thief ... OHSU opens rural 'hub' campus in Klamath Falls ... Portland dispensary fined $2,500 for handing out products in parking lot ... Surveillance video captures Medford surgery center thief ... EDUCATION Gov. Brown meets new crop of full-day kindergarten students Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 3:29 PM Updated Sep 8, 2015 at 3:30 PM By The Associated Press Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 3:29 PM Updated Sep 8, 2015 at 3:30 PM » Social News BEAVERTON — Beaverton schools opened Tuesday, and Gov. Kate Brown visited one elementary school to welcome the youngest students. The governor touted the importance of full-day kindergarten, which was available to less than half of Oregon's 5-year-olds a year ago. The Legislature increased funding earlier this year, leading school districts to create more than 1,000 new full-day kindergarten classes. Brown said a focus on early learning is vital to lifting test scores and closing the "opportunity gap." "It's really important that we follow up full-day kindergarten with high-quality, rigorous and strong and aligned classroom work at every single grade level and that's what we're working on doing," Brown told KOIN-TV. Schools are not required to offer more than half a day of kindergarten, but they forfeit their share of the new millions if they don't. The Oregonian newspaper reported that it could not find any districts sticking with half-day classes. The change has been especially great in districts such as Hillsboro, Salem and Eugene. Last year, nearly every kindergarten class in those districts lasted two hours and 45 minutes. Now, they are all full-day. Oregon educators have spent years pushing for an expanded kindergarten day, citing the state's persistently low rate of third-graders who read at grade level. Curriculum directors and kindergarten teachers say half-day classes are too rushed. In a six-hour school day, lessons go into much greater depth and allow for more practice. Being together as a class all day also permits more attention to skills such as cooperation, patience, perseverance and anger control. "You can do real teaching, not just a drive-by," said Paula Nelson, a Portland teacher who taught half-day kindergarten for 19 years before switching to full-day last year. At least 12 other states already provide full-day kindergarten to all their students. Washington schools will hold full-day classes for 72 percent of kindergartners this year and all of them next year, state officials said. By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 3:29 PM Updated Sep 8, 2015 at 3:30 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501