The garden is thorny: Teaching kindergarten in the age of accountability

In: Global studies of childhood: GSC, Band 6, Heft 3, S. 299-310

Abstract

Teachers today are faced with myriad expectations. Whether preparing children for school learning goals, state assessments, or building social skills, it seems that teachers are being asked to do more every year. Perhaps the most palpable effect of the standards movement has been the academic "trickle down," whereby our youngest learners have been exposed to a more academic, teacher-directed curriculum in many of today's kindergarten classrooms. The evidence is strong; kindergarten has become the new first grade. This article explores the apparent conflicts and tensions evident in many of today's kindergarten classrooms. In addition, recommendations are made to preservice teachers and school administrators in response to the challenges teachers face today in the current educational climate and the supports needed to ensure developmentally appropriate teaching. In this qualitative study four conversant and experienced kindergarten teachers were investigated over the course of a school year as they lived within the context of a changing curriculum, increased demands, and new expectations. This study looked to capture the lives of teachers and their abilities to develop and integrate strategies that consider the developmental nature of children, challenges of classroom diversity, and the imposition of standards and mandates.