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61 Kindergarten Trends and Policy Issues Making the Most of Kindergarten– Trends and Policy Issues
Abstract
Testifying before the National Education Goals Panel some years ago, a kindergarten teacher dramatically impressed and moved the assembled group of governors and legislators with her words: "I am a kindergarten teacher and I have the best job in the whole world. My kids and I love each other." She went on to tell how she scavenged junk from neighborhood vendors for the children's science and art projects because supplies at her inner-city school were lacking. Even more poignantly, she noted very real tensions: "I am pressured to be everything to everyone; I am caught between developmental and disciplinary approaches to pedagogy and curriculum; and I am tossed about between play and formal instruc-tion." She closed her comments with a simple question: "How am I supposed to keep the hopes of my families and children alive when my own dreams for the possibilities of kindergarten are so diminished?" Like this caring kindergarten teacher more than a decade ago, we are all desirous of reconcil-ing the pressures on kindergarten today with our knowledge of child development and early child-hood pedagogy. We are all eager to make the kin-dergarten experience as rich and as contributory to young children's development as possible. We want this even as we recognize that, for many, kindergarten remains the overlooked year, over-shadowed by the policy fanfare of prekindergarten and the domination of standards, testing, and the regularities of school. Stated differently, we all are desirous of retaining the uniqueness of kindergar-ten culture against a society demanding academic assimilation. How do concerned educators and policy makers buck the tide, or at least reconcile it with the needs of today's young children? What is worth holding onto from kindergarten's past? How do we align the social constructions of children from that past with the genuine need to consider the deep-seated and historically underaddressed issues of inequity of access and inequality of service? How do we create environments for chil-dren that are culturally sensitive, are respectful of current realities, and transcend the vagaries of the kindergarten debate? Simply said: What is it we want kindergarten to be and do? And how do we achieve it? These ques-tions frame this chapter.
... One of the most important decisions policymakers must make is how to establish academic goals and opportunities appropriate for kindergarten without sacrificing non-academic benefits (Strickland, 2006). Indeed, one problem some kindergartens face is the narrow focus academic demands may impose on young children (Kagan & Kauerz, 2006;Katz & McClellan, 1997). ...
... If students are simply not developmentally ready or cognitively capable of doing the work expected of them, mandating an intensive academic experience may not be appropriate. In fact, forcing young children to work for extended periods of time on tasks they find challenging, given their circumstances, may have a detrimental long-term effect in terms of motivation to learn (Kagan & Kauerz, 2006;Keller & Susuki, 1988;Marcon, 2002). ...
Most people agree that young children benefit academically from attending kindergarten; however, some research suggests that any academic advantage attributed to attending full day kindergarten compared to half-day programs will disappear as early as third grade. Based on the results of this study which looked at students in typical classroom settings, a likely explanation for this is that teachers often provide considerable remedial assistance to low achieving students. Once students meet benchmark expectations, instruction tends to broaden to other instructional objectives. We also found that in practice distinguishing between full- and half-day programs based solely on time in school is problematic. Many schools offering full-day kindergarten do not provide a full day of academic instruction, and many teachers see little value of doing so. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)
... Additionally, consistent attendance in the early grades and the resulting exposure to classroom content can create a foundation for later educational success (Coelho et al., 2015). Early grades act as a portal to the public education system and are therefore crucial for creating lasting routines around school and for establishing the foundational skills upon which later learning will be based (Gottfried & Gee, 2017;Hickman & Heinrich, 2011;Kagan & Kauerz, 2006). For instance, if a child consistently attends school in the early primary years, he/she will get into the "habit" of attending, and this behavior will become routinized and be more likely to endure in the future; similarly, a child exposed regularly to more basic knowledge and skills because of his/her consistent attendance will be more likely to have a firm grasp of those skills and be better equipped able to learn complex skills in the future. ...
In response to the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), nearly three-fourths of states in the U.S. have adopted chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10% of the school year—as a measure of school quality and student success (Jordon, Fothergill, & Rosende, 2018). Due to its widespread adoption and the strong predictive relationship between early absences and negative educational outcomes, chronic absenteeism is increasingly being utilized by schools as an early warning indicator of later problems, such as low academic achievement. As such, chronic absenteeism theoretically allows schools to identify academically at-risk students in the early primary grades using readily available attendance data and provide them with additional resources to prevent later difficulties (Balfanz, Herzog, & Mac Iver, 2007). Given its pervasive use as both an accountability metric and an early warning indicator, the need to ensure the scientific integrity of chronic absenteeism is vital. Major theoretical assumptions underlying this indicator, however, have never been empirically validated. The current study represents the first effort to scientifically test the most basic assumption upon which chronic absenteeism is based—that all absences from school (i.e., both excused and unexcused absences) are equally detrimental to student outcomes and should be utilized to identify at-risk students. The purpose of this study was thus to test whether excused and unexcused absences have comparable diagnostic accuracy in the early identification of academically at-risk students. Using the state-of-the-art receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology, this study presented evidence that only unexcused absences provided diagnostic accuracy for academic risk status in math and English achievement for an entire cohort of young students in Philadelphia. This diagnostic accuracy was evident in kindergarten and increased across the early elementary years. Excused absences, on the other hand, provided no diagnostic utility in differentiating between students at risk for academic problems and students on track for success within and across the early elementary grades. The findings presented here indicate that chronic absenteeism could be a more effective early warning indicator for students in large urban school districts by taking absence types into account. These results have further implications for researchers and policymakers, surfacing the need to prioritize additional empirical studies testing the underlying assumptions of chronic absenteeism.
... Stevenson hoped that by creating this assessment tool, pre-k stakeholders would engage in practices that " prioritize the teaching and nurturing of children, not the teaching of content " (Kagan & Kauerz, 2006, p. 163). For Stevenson, doing so would assist pre-k students, as well as their families, in developing confidence as learners. ...
As prekindergarten becomes a more common feature in elementary school, little is known about how early childhood stakeholders are incorporating their child-centered practices into the standards-based accountability reforms that define elementary school. This article addresses this issue by presenting a case study that examined the implementation of a prekindergarten assessment tool. The tool was to align the academic achievement expectations of the prekindergarten program with those found in the corresponding elementary schools. The tool initially failed to address district stakeholders' conceptions of the amount of academic skills and knowledge students were to obtain in prekindergarten. It was edited to correct this problem. Examining this case reveals the complexity that early education stakeholders face in merging their conceptions of practice with elementary school policies that require all children to acquire mandated standards. It also offers the chance to consider the steps both sets of stakeholders might take to support the integration of prekindergarten into elementary school.
... I struggled with that the entire semester. (Second interview, December 2005) In their teacher education courses, these preservice teachers were taught to 'prioritize the teaching and nurturing of children, not the teaching of content' (Kagan & Kauerz, 2006, p. 163, emphais in original). However, as Isabelle noted, 'We learned a lot about constructivism in our courses, and I didn't see a lot of constructivism in the classroom activities at all' (second interview, December 2005). ...
As neoliberal polices that emphasize governing the modern state through market-based principles expand across the globe, they are altering the training of early childhood teacher candidates. This creates a range of challenges for those teacher educators who are critical of this reform process. This article presents an instrumental case study that examined the impact of neoliberal education reforms on the development of a sample of early education teacher candidates. Analyzing this case of teacher development offers teacher educators the opportunity to consider the practical and critical steps they might take to better prepare their candidates for these reforms. Doing so will help teacher candidates develop early learning experiences for their children that teach them to become engaged democratic citizens rather than compliant consumers within the neoliberal state.
Researchers have posited that possible explanations that contribute to the variability in Pre-K program quality and subsequent mixed results in terms of student outcomes include, among others, an uncoordinated Pre-K delivery system and misalignment between the Pre-K and K-12 sectors. This study investigates one mechanism by which states attempt to resolve challenges resulting from mixed delivery and vertical misalignment: their governance structures, as identified by Kagan’s (2015) as one mechanism in the systems-focused model for the provision of high-quality early education. By collecting and analyzing documents from all 50 states, we describe how early learning is governed across the U.S. Finding variability, we organize state governance structures into a five-category taxonomy. We then analyze the mission statement, scope, and goals of each state’s early childhood council and find only a small subset address issues related to vertical alignment. The findings take on added significance as Congress debates the American Families Plan, the Biden Administration’s initiative that would partner with states to offer free, high-quality preschool to all of the nation’s three- and four-year-olds.
This study aims to identify market climate and customer preferences of people around Shah Alam, Malaysia towards franchisor of Islamic kindergarten. The research method used is quantitative approach and questionnaires are distributed to 40 parents around Shah Alam who have children and putting their children to have pre-education among 3 Islamic kindergarten brand. The result of this study explained that most consumers engage their children to pre institutions the school grounds to increase the ability and social interaction. The main consideration consumers in choosing pre -school education are the type of program services offered and teacher skills and knowledge. While biggest decision maker was the husband. Price sensitivity is low with costs incurred for pre-school activities people feel suitable is more than RM 200 per month. Lastly, if consumers are not satisfied then the action taken is complain directly to the pre-school and directly stop using the service.
A system-level perspective on the transition to Kindergarten requires consideration of the differences that exist between the systems of birth-to-five early care and education (ECE) and K-12 education. Challenges in bridging these systems are rooted in paradigmatic and structural differences that make ongoing, meaningful collaboration and alignment between ECE and K-12 difficult and complex to address. With practitioners and policymakers alike experiencing the challenges, the impetus to address them is heightened by the prominent national focus on school readiness and closing achievement gaps by third grade. This chapter explores theoretical rationales for creating more coherence and alignment across the birth through elementary school age range (P-3), providing a picture of how children’s learning opportunities would be positively influenced by system-level alignment work. Schools and districts that have engaged in system-level alignment efforts show promising improvement in child-level outcomes. The chapter provides examples of alignment strategies at the level of implementation and proffers suggestions for how research, policy, and practice can contribute to greater coherence between the ECE and K-12 systems.
Preschool age is one of the most important periods in man’s life, in which children grow rapidly while the environment provides proper stimulus so that they are fully developed and can go over to the next educational stages smoothly. A total of factors affects this progress. These factors are related to the program of kindergarten, the practices that are applied, the surrounding area, the relations between the kindergarten teacher and the broader social context, moreover the kindergarten teachers themselves are responsible for such an important function. The purpose of this research is to expand the undergraduate student’s views of the University of Early Childhood Education concerning the features of an ideal kindergarten that favors children’s development and offers a pleasant and creative stay.
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, began following a nationally representative sample of approximately 22,000 kindergartners in the fall of 1998. Baseline data about these children, their families, and the kindergarten programs were collected from telephone interviews with the children's parents/guardians and from self-administered questionnaires completed by the kindergarten teachers. Data were also gathered during an individual assessment with each child. The study assessed the children's cognitive skills and knowledge, social skills, physical health and well-being, approaches to learning, and the children's family environment. Among the findings were the following: (1) in reading, mathematics, and general knowledge, older kindergartners outperform younger kindergartners; (2) children's performance increases with the level of their mothers' education; (3) kindergartners from two-parent families are more likely to score in the highest quartile than children from single-mother families, although some with single mothers also score in this quartile, and some from two-parent families score in the lowest quartile; (4) for the most part, children exhibit a high incidence of prosocial behaviors; (6) reports of children's problem behaviors vary by race/ethnicity and by whether the teacher or parent is rating the child; (7) kindergartners are generally healthy, although their general health differs by their family type, level of mothers' education, and whether or not the family uses public assistance; (8) in terms of children's approach to learning, both parents and teachers report that girls persist at tasks more often than boys, older kindergartners persist more often than younger ones, and children not at risk persist more often than children at risk for school difficulty; (9) the majority of parents report having more than 25 children's books in the home; and (10) black children are more likely than white, Asian, or Hispanic children to receive before- and/or after-school care. Findings indicate that while first-time kindergartners are similar in many ways, differences exist in children's skills and knowledge in relation to their characteristics, background, and experiences. The study will continue to follow the cohort through their fifth-grade year. (Contains 56 references.) (HTH)
State policymakers should ensure learning standards for kindergarten are created and aligned both with early learning standards and standards for 1st grade and beyond. Learning standards for kindergarten should be implemented comprehensively across five key domains: physical and motor development, social/emotional development, approaches toward learning, cognitive development, and language/literacy development. Qualifications for full-day kindergarten teachers--and professional development opportunities that support them--should meet national recommendations and include specialized education in child development and the education of young children. This report presents information graphically showing where state policies across the country currently stand. The information contained herein identifies, outlines and addresses key areas where full-day kindergarten policies can be strengthened. States can use this report to learn from other states' experiences and to work cooperatively towards the development of full-day kindergarten policies that provide a strong and coherent continuum of early education for all young children in this nation. Appended is: ECS StateNotes, "Full-Day Kindergarten." (Contains 35 endnotes.)
The United States has established 8 goals for schools to reach by the year 2000. Ways in which school can prepare for the first goal--"By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn"--are explored in this booklet. It discusses different aspects of children's readiness and what schools can do to prepare for children. The focus is on the 10 keys to ready schools. These include smoothing the transition between home and school; striving for continuity between early care and education programs and elementary schools; helping children learn and make sense of their world through curriculum, instruction, and other methods; being committed to the success of every child, especially when dealing with poverty and race; being committed to the success of every teacher and every adult interacting with children at school; introducing or expanding approaches that raise achievement, including prompt interventions and flexible approaches; altering practices and programs if they do not benefit children through the use of retention, redshirting, and other means; serving children in communities; taking responsibility for results; and exhibiting strong leadership. The text includes a list of questions for each of these key approaches so as to help schools gauge their progress. (RJM)
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