How Education Stakeholders Made Sense of the Types of Learning Experiences Children are and Should be Having in Kindergarten and Why

Research Findings: This article investigates how a sample of families, educators, researchers, advocates, and policymakers (n = 93) made sense of how children are and should be taught in kindergarten. By examining their conceptions of instruction that define kindergarten in this current era of standards and accountability and what opportunities for change they might support, the findings of this study reveal how these stakeholders sought to redefine what they viewed as a program that has become a joyless race to the test. They worried that there will be both short- and long-term consequences for kindergartners if schools fail to address their concerns over how children are being taught. Practice or Policy: To further reform kindergarten, the stakeholders in this study appeared willing to engage in a public dialogue that could help raise and sustain social and political awareness about how kindergarten has changed so that a possible paradigmatic shift in schooling can emerge that goes beyond the traditional debates over play versus academics. These stakeholders also seemed to be committed to instructional changes in kindergarten, such as guided play, that offer children more choice and voice in their learning, exposure to advanced academics, fostered their social, emotional, and physical development, and nurtured their curiosity as learners.