As a result of Universal Primary Education (UPE) and reform efforts, primary school enrollment in Uganda doubled from 2.9 million in 1995 to 5.8 million by 1998. By 2016, enrollment had reached 8.3 million. Although enrollment gains have been dramatic, the completion rate has stalled for at least a decade, with only about 60% of learners…

This paper describes a 2016 pilot study undertaken in Uganda to document the real repetition rate in Primary 1 classes and to examine the relationship between repetition in Primary 1 and attendance in pre-primary education. The study explored knowledge and practice about the age of entry for children into pre-primary education and Primary 1. It…

Studies were conducted locally to augment findings from the literature regarding the effect of school entrance age, and to examine several other issues related to the St. Louis Public School's kindergarten screening program. Studies reported address a number of questions related to program planning and policy development: (1) Is there evidence to…

Investigated the effects of kindergarten schedules and preschool experience on elementary school students' success. Results indicated that children who attended preschool experienced greater success in elementary school than those who did not. Childrens' participation in full-day kindergarten was positively related to their school performance…

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 case study describes an innovative school entry system in which children are registered at school according to their stage of development, not their age. The system was introduced by law in Hungary in 1986. In this study, an introduction is followed by a discussion of problems in curricular articulation. Problems are discussed in terms of the…

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…