Abstract
This study examines the construct of school readiness as understood by rural kindergarten teachers. Kindergarten teachers in 11 rural Missouri communities were surveyed to assess their perceptions of the readiness levels of their incoming children. These data were then compared to the results of the national Carnegie study of 7000 kindergarten teachers' perceptions of school readiness. The rural Missouri sample judged their students as generally more ready than did the national sample; they viewed the incoming kindergarten students as having fewer language, social, and physical problems. A greater portion of the rural sample believed that children are more ready now than 5 years ago (36% vs. 25%). They attribute the improvement to high quality early preschool programs. The diversity within the rural sample as well as the rural/urban distinctions are discussed.
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Espinosa, L.M., Thornburg, K.R. & Mathews, M.C. Rural Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions of School Readiness: A Comparison with the Carnegie Study. Early Childhood Education Journal 25, 119–125 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025628721865
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025628721865