The research indicates that there are many benefits to pre-kindergarten participation which includes positive social and emotional benefits and academic achievement gains (Barnett et al., 2005; Cody, 1993; Neuman, 2007; U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, 2010). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effects of the…

A teacher in an East Tennessee elementary school observed after a year of kindergarten that her students had a hard time recognizing their letters based on the Brigance Test. She taught one letter a week by thematic instruction, and she was concerned her students would not be ready to read if they did not know their letters. A study was conducted…

A study investigated the effect of kindergarten class size on reading readiness achievement. Subjects, 2,837 kindergarten students in 38 elementary schools that serve rural, urban, suburban, and inner-city schools, participated in the first year of Project STAR (Student Teacher Academic Ratio) in 1985-86. The subjects' 140 kindergarten teachers…

Effects of teacher-pupil ratio on kindergartners' mastery of reading readiness objectives were studied. The study was part of Tennessee's Project STAR, a 4-year study of class size. About 2,850 students in 38 elementary schools that served 4 types of communities: innercity, suburban, urban, and rural, in 26 Tennessee school systems participated.…