Kindergarten Education and Early Childhood Teacher Education in the United States: Status at the Start of the 21^st Century

Abstract

The political, economic, social, equity, and historical influences on the status of kindergarten education and early childhood teacher education in the United States are discussed. There are many sources of data that create a picture of the diverse programs, resources, and opportunities that kindergarten children experience, including the preparation of kindergarten teachers. This article addresses the questions: What does kindergarten curriculum look like today compared with other times? What is the status of full-day kindergarten? What are the influences of the high-stakes testing movement, school budgets, and economic status across communities? How has early childhood state teacher certification changed during the past two decades? What is worthwhile learning? This article takes an editorial position that supports an intellectually significant curriculum in which specially prepared early childhood teachers match teaching with the ways in which kindergarten children learn, and might want to learn more.

Notes

National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education. (2000)., Summer). STILL unacceptable trends in kindergarten entry and placement. Of Primary Interest, 7(3–4), 1–8.

Shepard, L. A., & Smith, M. L. (1989). Escalating kindergarten curriculum. (Eric Document Reproduction Service No. ED308989)