The present study aimed to identify commonalities and points of divergence in the ways that parents, teachers, and administrators characterize children's transition from public pre-K into kindergarten within a large, diverse school district. A wide range of transition practices were in use across the district, including practices designed to…

Understanding factors associated with children's early behavioral difficulties is of vital importance to children's school success, and to the prevention of future behavior problems. Although biological factors can influence the expression of certain behaviors, the probability of children exhibiting classroom behavior problems is intensified when…

Teachers' judgments of relational conflict are unique indicators of children's academic and social adjustment. Using a large, hierarchically nested sample of preschoolers (N = 2282) and teachers (N = 597) this study examines the individual and classroom factors associated with teachers' ratings of conflict, both before and after adjusting for…

This study describes pre-kindergarten teachers' use of kindergarten transition practices and examined the extent to which these practices were associated with kindergarten teachers' judgments of children's social, self-regulatory, and academic skills upon their entry into kindergarten. Participants were 722 children from 214 pre-kindergarten…

Describes the Kindergarten Transition Project at the National Center for Early Development and Learning, a school-based program designed to enhance connections among children, teachers, families and peers during kindergarten transition. Discusses program activities intended to increase familiarity with elementary school, provide consistent…

Described patterns of kindergarten teachers' perceptions of their relationships with students in cluster analysis of responses for 436 children on teacher-report measure: Dependent, Positively Involved, Dysfunctional, Functional/Average, Angry/Dependent, and Uninvolved. Children in clusters differed significantly in adjustment in first-grade…

Examined changes in classroom membership for 1995-1996 as indicated by kindergarten teachers. Found that 26 percent of kindergarten classroom membership changed over the school year, with frequency increasing as schools were more urban, in higher poverty districts, or with higher student minority representation. Teachers in high-turnover…

Examined differences in child-mother interaction, classroom adjustment during kindergarten, and retention in kindergarten between 41 first-born children of adolescent mothers and 88 first-born children of adult mothers. Found that the children of adolescent and adult mothers were generally indistinguishable in areas of classroom adjustment,…

Examined the practices teachers employ to help children and families make the transition to school, and the links between school, teacher, and classroom characteristics and transition practices. Discusses findings on factors influencing transition practice, including teacher experience and training, teacher race or ethnicity, class size, and the…

Describes demographic and structural features of kindergarten classrooms using data from the National Center for Early Development and Learning's Transition Practices Survey of kindergarten teachers. Explores teachers' education and experience, and their training on facilitating transitions to kindergarten. Also discusses teacher and student…

This study assessed the extent to which teachers' perceptions of their relationships with young students varied as a function of child and teacher characteristics in a large, demographically diverse sample of 197 preschool and kindergarten teachers and 840 children. Children were approximately evenly divided between boys and girls. Regression…

This manual describes an approach to enhancing children's transitions into kindergarten. This approach, developed as a collaborative effort among researchers at the National Center for Early Development & Learning Kindergarten Transition Project at the University of Virginia and local school personnel, focuses on forming a network of social…

Examines the relation between teachers' perceptions of their relationships with students and teacher ethnicity; child age, ethnicity, and gender; and ethnic match between teacher and child. Child age and ethnicity and teacher-child ethnic match were consistently related to teachers' perceptions. Discusses results in terms of classroom social…

For 436 kindergartners, teachers completed a measure of teacher-student relationships and mothers completed a behavior checklist. Patterns of teacher-student relationships were similar to patterns of parent-child attachment, and teacher-student relationships were related to child behavior at home and school. (BC)

Analyzed parents' observations and perceptions of the transition process of their children into kindergarten. Found that even though most parents (two-thirds) reported satisfactory transitions, 47% of responses contained negative features, reflecting difficulties during transition. Parents found ongoing communication, agreed-upon performance…