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My mission is to transform kindergarten and strengthen the transition into the early grades of elementary school, ensuring that all children have access to high-quality instruction and learning experiences that align with the science of learning and development.
Over the last decade, I've visited pre-K, kindergarten, and early grade classrooms in 17 states and the District of Columbia to find places that provide kindergarten that combines challenging content taught in the ways young children learn best. The pictures on the left are just a few examples of play-based learning and exploration happening in kindergarten.
Recent Writing
Recent Writing
As I visited schools around the country, I saw pre-K classrooms that were warm, joyful, and social, with children talking, playing, exploring, creating, and taking risks. I saw kindergarten classrooms that were quiet and still, with children sitting and listening to the teacher and completing worksheets. Why do kindergartners have such different learning environments and experiences? What did teachers need to ensure all kindergartners thrive? What should state and local education leaders do to better support them?
This early, collaborative approach to transitions is exactly what's missing in most school districts. Preparing students for the move from one grade to the next can't happen in a rushed month before school ends or over the summer break—it requires year-long, ongoing coordination. Most of that work happens behind the scenes, creating systems at the school and district levels that enable seamless experiences for children, families, and teachers.
Great First Eight is a full-day, whole-child, open educational resource (OER) curriculum designed for children from birth to eight years old and for classrooms with a number of children from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.
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