ABSTRACT

Research Findings: The present study examined the transition practices reported by 59 pre-kindergarten (pre-k) and 186 kindergarten teachers in the rural Southeastern United States, and asked if transition practices related to skills at the beginning and end of kindergarten for 387 children. Analyses indicated kindergarten teachers offered more transition practices than pre-k teachers, and the transition practices children received varied depending on the students served. Pre-k settings with more students from families with low incomes were more likely to hold individual meetings with parents but less likely to offer classroom visits and orientations. Kindergarten teachers in schools with higher proportions of ethnically and racially minoritized students were more likely to engage in classroom visits and sharing individual child data. Although overall we found little to no association with child outcomes, data sharing on individual children was associated with higher literacy skills at entry to kindergarten. Practice or Policy: This study raises several future directions for policy and practice related to school transitions. Although most transition practices are designed to help children feel better about moving into kindergarten, it appears that some practices, such as data sharing, may also improve school readiness skills, making them a promising focus for future policy investments.

摘要

研究成果：本研究调查了美国东南部农村地区 59 名学前班 (pre-k) 和 186 名幼儿园教师报告的过渡实践，并询问过渡实践是否与 387 名儿童在幼儿园开始和结束时的技能有关。分析表明，幼儿园教师提供的过渡实践比学前班教师更多，儿童接受的过渡实践因所服务的学生而异。来自低收入家庭的学生较多的学前班设置更有可能与家长举行单独会议，但不太可能提供课堂访问和指导。少数族裔和少数族裔学生比例较高的学校的幼儿园教师更有可能参与课堂访问和分享个别儿童数据。实践或政策：这项研究提出了与学校过渡相关的政策和实践的几个未来方向。尽管大多数过渡实践旨在帮助儿童对进入幼儿园感觉更好，但数据共享等一些实践似乎也可以提高入学准备技能，使其成为未来政策投资的有前途的重点。