CNN – Laura Bornfreund and Lisa Guernsey
“The first day of school is always a little nerve-racking, but the first day of kindergarten is particularly fraught. The kids are little bundles of energy, still learning how to zip their backpacks and print their names. Their parents are either hyper-chirpy, weepy or some hybrid version of both. And the teachers, well, their job may be the hardest yet: They have very little information on what all these kids need or how they learn best. Which children have had the benefit of pre-K? Who has never held a book? How many know letters, recognize shapes, or can handle their emotions when a tower of blocks topples? This is an all too common scenario in American schools, and it is contributing to our nation’s education troubles. While transitions between elementary and middle school and middle and high school are typically well-orchestrated experiences, the transition into kindergarten is haphazard at best.”(more)