School Readiness

Images of impact on students during the COVID-19 pandemic including wearing masks, social distancing, empty classrooms, and some symbols of executive function.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Charles Krupa/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement What the Research Says Kids' Executive Function Skills Took a Hit During COVID. What Can Schools Do?
Children are struggling to master skills related to memory, attention, and self-control.
Lauraine Langreo, May 4, 2026
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6 min read
Four-year-old Ethan Quinn leaves home for his daycare center in Concord, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Ethan's parents opted to keep him in a private daycare center instead of enrolling him in “transitional kindergarten” — a program offered for free by California elementary schools for some 4-year-olds. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A four-year-old prepares to leave home for his daycare center in Concord, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2023. His parents chose private daycare over California’s free “transitional kindergarten” program for some 4-year-olds—a decision that reflects how families often navigate limited time, work demands, and early education options in shaping school readiness.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Early Childhood Teachers Blame Parents for Young Learners' Deficits. But There's a Bigger Story
Teachers and parents are experiencing similar levels of stress caring for and educating kids.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 30, 2026
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5 min read
Watercolor illustration of a diverse group of young kindergarten through 3rd grade school children all holding their own digital device.
Illustration by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Early Childhood 'Addicted to Screens': Teachers Sound the Alarm on Their Youngest Students
Too many students are entering school unprepared to learn, according to a national survey of early educators.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 2, 2026
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4 min read
Kindergartener Jaxon Schofield-Wood leaps off the bus excited for his first day of school on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, at Thomson Elementary School in Davison, Mich.
A kindergartener leaps off the bus excited for his first day of school on Aug. 21, 2023, in Davison, Mich. Since 2017, the practice of redshirting has remained fairly steady at about 5% of all would-be incoming kindergartners, save for a bump during the pandemic among all children—most notably from families in high-poverty school districts.
Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP
Early Childhood Has the Practice of Redshirting Kindergartners Peaked?
Holding kids back from kindergarten may be less popular than expected. Here's why.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 1, 2026
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5 min read
Pre-K 4 SA students play on the playground, Oct. 9, 2025, in San Antonio.
Pre-K 4 SA students play on the playground, Oct. 9, 2025, in San Antonio. A new survey from the EdWeek Research Center found that educators are seeing declines in young students’ behavior, motor skills, and basic tasks.
Eric Gay/AP
Early Childhood From Our Research Center Toileting and Tying Shoes: Young Students Increasingly Lack Basic Skills
National survey finds more students struggle with basic foundational skills.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 13, 2026
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1 min read
Dr. Sara Bode (far right) high fives Juri Sleet, 4, after she and Crystal Webb, a kindergarten readiness coordinator talk with Sleet's grandma, Quintina Davis (left) about the literacy screening they gave Sleet at Linden Primary Care Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio.
Dr. Sara Bode (far right) high fives Juri Sleet, 4, after she and Crystal Webb, a kindergarten readiness coordinator, talk with Sleet's grandmother, Quintina Davis (left), about the literacy screening they gave Sleet at Linden Primary Care Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio.
Jessica Phelps/AP
Early Childhood Q&A Assessing Kindergarten Readiness—During Routine Pediatric Checkups
An Ohio pediatric hospital's clinics assess preschoolers' literacy readiness during routine visits.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 6, 2026
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8 min read
Celenia Romero reads to her Prek-5 students in the library at CentroNia in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Celenia Romero reads to her Prek-5 students in the library at CentroNia in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Many preschoolers struggle with handling books as screen use rises, raising early literacy concerns.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Early Childhood Kids Are Entering Preschool More Comfortable With Screens Than Books. What Now?
Screen time is rising among the youngest students. Experts explain its effect on literacy skills.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 18, 2026
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4 min read
GettyImages 1165535297
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Early Childhood How Old Should a Kindergartner Be? Parents and Districts Clash Over Cutoff Dates
As some districts and states strictly enforce kindergarten cutoff dates, parents feel the squeeze.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 12, 2025
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6 min read
Northeast kindergarten teacher Patty Benjamin and Valeria Jackson gets students settled in their new classroom at Northeast Elementary located at 1024 Fleming Ave. on the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.
Kindergarten students get settled in their new classroom at Northeast Elementary in Jackson, Mich., on the first day of school on Aug. 20, 2025. Across the country, educators report that kindergartners are struggling with regulating their emotions.
Abra Richardson/Tribune News Service
Student Well-Being & Movement Is More Playtime the Antidote to Kindergartners’ Behavior Problems?
Kindergartners are struggling with self-control—a key indicator of kindergarten readiness. Is more unstructured play a solution?
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 22, 2025
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4 min read
Transitional kindergarten teacher Amy Weisberg helps a young student at Topanga Charter Elementary School in the Topanga district of Los Angeles on Sept. 11, 2012. A California law requires public schools to add a grade level this fall designed to give the very youngest students a boost when they enroll in kindergarten, but charter schools say the law does not apply to them, pitting them against the state Department of Education.
Transitional kindergarten teacher Amy Weisberg helps a young student at Topanga Charter Elementary School in the Topanga district of Los Angeles on Sept. 11, 2012. California will require public schools that offer kindergarten to add free, inclusive prekindergarten this school year.
Nick Ut/AP
Early Childhood Q&A How a State's Transitional Kindergarten Expansion Has Gone So Far
California is gearing up to help more 4-year-olds get ready for kindergarten.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 1, 2025
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6 min read
A kindergartener in a play-based learning class prepares for outdoor forest play time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.
A kindergartner in a play-based learning class prepares for outdoor forest play time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H., on Nov. 7, 2024. Across the country, kindergartners are struggling with self-regulation.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Early Childhood ‘Crying, Yelling, Shutting Down’: There’s a Surge in Kindergarten Tantrums. Why?
Educators are reporting a surge in the number of kindergartners coming to school unable to regulate their emotions. What's going on?
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 25, 2025
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6 min read
A group of ethnically diverse Kindergarten children sit on the floor of their classroom, cross-legged and dressed in casual clothing. They are all looking up at their teacher who is holding out a storybook and reading to them. They are all smiling and listening attentively.
iStock/Getty
Early Childhood How Kindergarten 'Redshirting' Is Changing
Redshirting was once largely a choice made by higher-income parents of white boys.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 23, 2024
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5 min read
Students participate in a pre-kindergarten class at Alice M. Harte Charter School in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018. Charter schools, which are publicly funded and privately operated, are often located in urban areas with large back populations, intended as alternatives to struggling city schools.
Students participate in a pre-kindergarten class at Alice M. Harte Charter School in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Early Childhood Why Parents 'Redshirt' Their Kids in Kindergarten
Parents have a number of reasons why they decide to delay their children's school entry, but it's not always a good idea.
Lydia McFarlane, July 26, 2023
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5 min read
Special education teacher assisting a diverse group of elementary students in art class.
E+/Getty
Special Education Young Children Were Massively Overlooked for Special Education. How Will Schools Respond?
Forty percent fewer preschoolers received special education services during the pandemic. Schools deal with the fallout.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 17, 2022
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6 min read