No abstract

Currently in the United States, 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia have established prekindergarten (pre‐K) age 4 learning standards that are intended to outline skills and knowledge that set children on a path to success in kindergarten and upcoming grades. These standards are emphasized as a centralizing force in early childhood education, providing a bridge strengthening ties between preschool and elementary grades. This report presents a national study of pre‐K age 4 learning standards based on an online survey completed by early childhood state and territory directors and administrators, geographically diverse focus groups representing a subsample of survey respondents, and one‐on‐one interviews composed of a sample of both focus group and survey participants. Data were collected from these sources and by direct examination of pre‐K age 4 learning standards documents. Responses to survey, focus group, and interview questions advanced current knowledge regarding the purpose, history, and development of pre‐K age 4 learning standards, comprehensiveness of standards documents, standards‐related supports for teachers, and pre‐K to kindergarten alignment. Systematic analysis of pre‐K age 4 learning standards documents revealed extensive variation across titles, organization, terminology, and enriching materials, such as teacher strategies and child examples that assist teachers in implementing standards. A surprising finding is the positive view among early childhood leaders in focus groups and interviews toward establishing national pre‐K age 4 learning standards. The report concludes with a brief discussion of implications of this study followed by recommendations to inform state and federal early childhood leaders, education‐focused philanthropic foundations, and others in the field of early childhood education.

Kindergarten readiness has received significant attention in recent years in response to concerns regarding preparing young children for school and beyond and mitigating persistent achievement gaps. Currently, there is little consensus around what factors drive and define kindergarten readiness. In this study, we sought to expand understanding of perspectives on how kindergarten readiness is defined, the role of early learning standards for defining kindergarten readiness, views about the implications of defining kindergarten readiness, and the utility of state definitions for guiding kindergarten readiness practices. Data sources included surveys, focus groups and interviews with individuals representing state early childhood education agencies, and existing state kindergarten readiness definitions. Collective study findings indicated that there is evidence of persisting variation in perspectives on how to define kindergarten readiness, reflecting continuing tension about the construct's meaning. Although state policy makers tend to view kindergarten readiness through a developmental lens rather than as a ready‐or‐not statement, they also emphasize the role of child attributes such as age or skills and knowledge outlined in early learning standards. Additionally, participants reported both positive views and apprehension around adopting a common definition to guide efforts to promote readiness. This investigation underscores the need for further consideration of adopting a universal, multifaceted kindergarten readiness definition that calls attention to the role of child and environmental inputs as a starting point for preparing all young children for school.

This study explores the extent to which student, family, peer, and school factors predict (a) whether students take Advanced Placement® (AP®) courses, International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, and dual enrollment courses and (b) in models limited to course takers, how many courses they completed. Our findings, based on a nationally representative, longitudinal sample, suggest that, when it comes to college‐level high school course taking, the relative advantage of higher socioeconomic status (SES) is less for African American students than it is for White and Asian students. Ninth‐grade math skills are the strongest predictor of AP or IB and dual enrollment course taking, above and beyond demographic background characteristics like SES and race or ethnicity. High school girls take AP/IB and dual enrollment courses at a higher rate than boys, and they take more of these courses. The level of academic focus of students and their peers is associated with both AP or IB and dual enrollment course taking, whereas having parents focused on college preparation and course taking only predicts AP or IB course taking. School factors associated with AP or IB course taking include U.S. region and rural location; the percentage of math teachers with a master's degree is also positively associated with the number of AP or IB courses students take. These findings highlight the importance of equitable educational opportunities starting from a young age. They also indicate a need for increased early attention to student math skills and for more supports for parents and school staff to enable them to encourage and prepare all students, especially those from historically marginalized groups, to take college‐level courses in high school.