Excerpted from chapter 15 of The Transition to Kindergarten, edited by Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D., & Martha J. Cox, Ph.D.

Copyright © 1999 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Trends for the Next Decade

In this chapter, the various perspectives described in previous chapters are integrated with trends in American society and education to derive implications for work in the area of the transition to kindergarten. Although there are many ways in which society and schools are changing as the 21st century approaches, four trends have been chosen to be examined in relation to their effect on the transition of children into American schools for the foreseeable future.

1. There is an emerging conceptual base that integrates developmental psychology and education. This conceptual base, solidly grounded in empirical work, has fueled increasing recognition by educators that 1) the development of young children (younger than age 8) relies greatly on contexts and 2) the early grades of school are a different, and somewhat critical, period for later school success. Thus, a new conceptual model for understanding the role of the school as a context for development is emerging and will likely influence how educators think about and prepare for the transition to school as they come to understand the role of various contexts in development.
   
   
2. The diversity of America's families and school population is increasing rapidly and is likely to be most pronounced among the younger age groups of children. Challenges of culture, language, family background and processes, and differences in the way families view schools, all of which are formidable even for children entering school today, will be exacerbated by these demographic shifts. These shifts raise issues of how schools will face the challenges of educating a diverse population, how communities will work to support families and schools working collaboratively, and how the teacher work force will need to respond to student and family diversity.
   
   
3. Public school programs for young children (ages 3 and 4) will continue to increase. Universal prekindergarten programs for 4-year-olds will be the norm, programs for 3-year-olds will be common, and the age for entering school will be 1-2 years earlier than it is now for nearly all American children. Clearly, the phenomenon of public schools offering programs for 4-year-olds, which was started in the 1980s mostly for children with high-risk backgrounds, will expand to near-universal status and radically change the nature of the transition to school. The elementary school of the future is likely to run from age 3 through third grade. Such schools will need to be more family friendly, will need to integrate diverse curricula and instructional practices, and will need to be linked more closely with communities. Policies concerning the age and circumstances under which children enter schools will be transformed in response to whether prekindergarten programs are universal or offered only on a selective basis. Transformations of readiness definitions and assessment will also occur as programs are implemented for younger children.
   
   
4. A movement for accountability has emerged in American education in response to pressures, political and substantive, from all sides. From one perspective, such a movement holds potential for enhancing the quality of education offered to American children and for ensuring their performance at higher levels. Clear communication of expectations, for example, can actually enhance transition processes when these expectations form the basis for constructive communication about a child between home and school and between programs and grades. However, dangers also lurk in the accountability movement. For the most part, this movement has ushered in a rash of new testing and assessment for children of all ages. Children in school are now tested with group-administered standardized tests and other "high-stakes" devices more than ever before. Such practices are not consistent with the emerging conceptual model that underlies most educational practice for young children. Thus, the accountability movement is likely to produce serious tensions for educators interested in this period of school transition.
   
   

In the remainder of this chapter, these four trends are expanded on in relation to the material presented by the other authors in this book. By bringing their perspectives on the transition to school to bear on these emerging trends in American education and society, it is hoped that a framework for research, policy, professional development, and practice can be provided that will ultimately enable these endeavors to enhance the quality of children's transitions into school.