Over the past 10 years, kindergarten classes have escalated their academic demands in order to prepare children to begin first grade. In tandem with curricular changes, many parents have elected to "hold out" their children from first grade for an additional year, and increasingly, schools are using kindergarten retention in response to…

Investigated effects of kindergarten schedules and prior preschool attendance on elementary children's academic achievement, incidence of grade retention, and reception of special education services in 32 Ohio school districts. In this statewide longitudinal study, children who attended preschool prior to kindergarten had greater success in…

This monograph presents information to help educators consider how to determine the best age for each child to begin his or her formal schooling. Trends in state requirements for school entrance age are described, and research in areas such as mental age, reading readiness, child development, screening instruments, and experimental preschool…