We’ve written before about kindergartners’ widely divergent
school experiences, with some attending full-day kindergarten
and others offered only half-day classes. Regardless of the
amount of time kindergarteners spend in the classroom, they will
soon have to meet the expectations of the Common Core, new, more
rigorous standards in English/language arts and math, which have
been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia (one of
those states, Minnesota, adopted only the ELA standards). In a
commentary for Education Week, I discuss why students attending
only a half-day of kindergarten might miss out on learning
opportunities that are important to young children’s development
and to meeting the standards of the Common Core. To help
children reach the high expectations of the Common Core while
still offering a well-rounded kindergarten experience, states
should fund a full day of kindergarten and require school
districts to provide it. I also note a new report from the
National Association for the Educat