| To investigate the structure and conditions of Kindergarten three independent studies were conducted. The first was a study of Kindergarten literacy curriculum from 1999, 2000, and 2003. The second study was the analysis of interviews of key Kindergarten personnel to determine the current climate in Kindergarten classrooms from a practitioner's standpoint. The final study was data derived from the national Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Database on a comparison of Half-day and Full-day Kindergarten programs. Results of the three studies indicated similar and over-lapping information. The curriculum appears to be increasingly more academic. Practitioners report that Kindergarten is increasingly academic. The comparisons of Half-day and Full-day programs indicate no difference in reading performance by third grade. Educational implications are discussed including the potential impact on Kindergarten students and Kindergarten culture. Future research on a large scale is critical to study the trends reported here. |
