Districts' Conceptualizations of Kindergarten Readiness

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Institutional Responses to Addressing Students' Needs

Abstract

As investment in public preK grows, so does districts’ interest in ensuring preK readies children for kindergarten. Yet, there is no clear consensus on what kindergarten readiness is. We aimed to understand what readiness meant for two school districts committed to connecting preK and elementary programming. While we found similarities in districts’ conceptualizations of readiness, there were differences in teacher understandings. These differences related to the districts’ departmental structures. We also found district leaders were primarily concerned with measuring readiness and that school and district leaders both expressed uncertainty about what constituted readiness. The findings indicated there is a need to better understand what influences districts’ conceptualizations of readiness and where the burden of readiness lies, with children or schools.

Authors

• Kristin Lyn Whyte, Mount Mary University

• Cynthia E. Coburn, Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy Human Development and Social Policy