This ERIC Digest advocates assessment of children's social competence with various measures, including behavioral measures, peer nominations, teacher ratings, and standardized tests. Content focuses on: (1) the insufficiency of the use of academic tests alone; (2) the importance of observing children's interactions with peers; (3) research…

This bibliography lists 33 resources on kindergarten and early childhood education which were selected from books and journals published from 1984-1988. Subtopics are noted for each entry. (RJC)

Academic redshirting, the practice of postponing a child's entry into kindergarten, is intended to give a child an extra year to become ready for school, an especially important goal given the increasing academic demands of early elementary years. This digest presents information about the incidence of redshirting, and summarizes some of the…

Noting that parent involvement could be the single most important factor in children's success in school, this book helps parents act as tutors in reading and writing for their kindergarten children. It offers both general guidelines and specific strategies and activities to use for accomplishing specific objectives, such as improving decoding…

A consideration of readiness for kindergarten must take into account the kindergarten program and the teacher's expectations of the child. This digest first examines kindergarten teachers' expectations for children's social, behavioral, sensory-motor, cognitive, and language abilities upon entrance to kindergarten. The issue of kindergarten…

Educators commonly recommend that children born during the summer months, especially boys, be given an extra year to mature before entering kindergarten so that they will not suffer from the academic disadvantages of being among the youngest children in a class. Terms such as "academic red-shirting" and "graying of the…

Educators commonly recommend that children born during the summer months, especially boys, be given an extra year to mature before entering kindergarten so that they will not suffer from the academic disadvantages of being among the youngest children in a class. Terms such as "academic red-shirting" and "graying of the…

This ERIC Digest examines how changing family patterns have affected the full-day/half-day kindergarten issue, discussing why schools are currently considering alternative scheduling and describing the advantages and disadvantages of each type of program. The following changing family patterns affecting the choice of full-day kindergarten programs…

Changes in American society and education over the last 20 years have contributed to the popularity of all-day, every-day kindergarten programs. Full-day kindergarten is popular for a number of reasons. Full-day programs eliminate the need to provide buses and crossing guards at mid-day. In high-poverty schools, state and federal funding for…

The curriculum now being taught in many kindergartens is profoundly different from what it was two decades ago. The kindergarten classroom, once conceived of as a play- and group adjustment-oriented setting, may now also be a classroom with an "academic" approach, characterized by direct teaching of discrete skills with specific…

Noting that much of the early research on the effects of all-day kindergarten had serious problems with internal and external validity due to inadequate methodological standards, this Spanish-language digest reviews research conducted in the 1990s. The digest discusses the academic, social, and behavioral effects of all-day kindergarten, as well…

Much of the early research on the effects of all day kindergarten had serious problems with internal and external validity due to inadequate methodological standards. This digest reviews research conducted in the 1990s. The digest discusses the academic, social, and behavioral effects of all-day kindergarten, as well as parents' and teachers'…

The increasingly common practice of retaining kindergarten children by enrolling them in alternative programs instead of first grade is briefly discussed in terms of what research says about retention, the social stigma of retention, the escalating kindergarten curriculum, and alternatives to retention. It is argued that the fad to flunk…

Summarizes recent ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) documents and journal articles that discuss issues related to children's age at entry into school. Includes details about ERIC and ordering ERIC documents. (EV)

Written by members of a consulting team engaged to evaluate a school district's kindergarten program and make recommendations for the future, this report chronicles the district's progress in coming to more fully understand goals and problems related to kindergarten education. Specifically, the report presents the evaluation team's examination of…