The pendulum is shifting from teacher-directed approaches in childhood education towards child-directed learning where developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) inform curriculum and instruction. This study explored the perspectives of teachers and administrators towards the supports and barriers of DAP and play in Transitional Kindergarten (TK)…

Examined the extent of extra-year programs for kindergarten students in Texas school districts; identified procedures and curricular interventions; and established the growth trend of these classes statewide. Found that 39% of the 285 school districts responding had transition classes, and the trend for the state at-large appeared to be one of…

Describes the development of a Head Start-public school partnership in Oregon from space sharing and mutually planned activities to coordinating a seamless transition between programs. Focuses on the joint use of the First Steps reading, writing, spelling, and oral language developmental continuums. Concludes that the newly articulated curriculum…

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…