Early Childhood

Kindergarten Today: Less Play, More Academics

February 09, 2016 1 min read
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Researchers at the University of Virginia compared the views and experiences of kindergarten teachers in 1998 with those of their counterparts in 2010, and found dramatic differences in what teachers now expect of pupils and how they have structured their classrooms. Generally, teachers now expect children to come in knowing much more, spend more of the day in literacy and math instruction, and devote less time to nonacademic subjects such as music and art. Some excerpts from the findings:

Teacher Beliefs

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Curriculum Focus

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Classroom Organization

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Instructional Approaches

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Source: “Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?,” AERA Open (American Educational Research Association) | Design: Marty Barrick

A version of this article appeared in the February 10, 2016 edition of Education Week as Kindergarten: Less Play, More Academics

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