How Important Kindergarten Has Become

Fifteen years ago, barely one-third of kindergarten teachers felt it was important their students learn to read before first grade.

Today, according to the American Institutes of Research, that number has shot up dramatically — nearly four in five kindergarten teachers now say their students should be reading.

The analysis offers a telling picture of how expectations of kindergarteners and their teachers have changed in the last two decades.

“In many ways, kindergarten is becoming the new first grade,” write Jill Walston and Kristin Flanagan at The Quick & The Ed.

Continue Reading