Children from all backgrounds significantly improve their reading and math performance during kindergarten and increase their readiness for future schooling, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). And the gains reported in The Kindergarten Year are about the same regardless of the child's background. Significant gaps remain, however, in more advanced skills between at-risk children and their peers.

"This report clearly shows that kindergarten benefits all children," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said. "But it also reminds us that a half-day of kindergarten and regular school cannot do everything. The challenge for at-risk students raises compelling questions. Would universal pre-school reduce the gaps in skills that appear before children even enter kindergarten? Would all-day kindergarten make a difference? Would after-school programs in elementary and middle schools be especially beneficial to at-risk students in closing the gap? What can parents do long before their children enter kindergarten? How can community-based organizations give parents more support?"

"There's certainly mixed news in the report," said Gary Phillips, acting commissioner of education statistics. "The good news is that during kindergarten, all types of students improve their readiness for school. On the other hand, the pattern of group differences entering kindergarten is still there at the end of kindergarten. Furthermore, the gap between at-risk and more advantaged students is reduced for more basic skills, but widened for more complex skills."

The Kindergarten Year provides national data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, which included a representative sample of 22,000 children, their families, schools and classrooms. The study is the second in a series of planned reports from the longitudinal study, which provides first-time data on children attending public and private kindergartens.

The study found that children increased their specific knowledge and skills in reading from when they first entered kindergarten. After a year of kindergarten, those who could recognize their letters increased from 65 percent to 94 percent; children who could understand the letter-sound relationship at the beginning of words rose from 29 percent to 72 percent; and those who could understand the letter-sound relationship at the end of words increased from 17 percent to 52 percent.

By the end of kindergarten, nearly all children recognize shapes and numbers (99 percent) and a majority understand the relative size and order of objects. Also, almost five times (18 percent) as many children could solve simple addition and subtraction problems at the end of kindergarten as at the beginning.

The Kindergarten Year identifies four risk factors for kindergartners: single-parent households, welfare recipients, mother with less than a high school education, and homes where English is not the primary language. Students with two or more risk factors enter kindergarten with much lower reading and math skills, but by the end of the year have virtually erased the gaps for the most basic skills. At-risk children remain behind in the more advanced skills such as recognizing words by sight or solving simple math problems.

The study found that patterns at the beginning of the school year persist and that by the end of the kindergarten year:

• Older children have higher specific reading and math knowledge and skills than their younger counterparts;
• According to teachers, children whose mothers who have more education are more likely to persist at tasks, seem more eager to learn, and pay closer attention than children whose mothers have less education;
• Teachers also report that kindergartners with fewer risk factors are more likely to accept peer ideas and form friendships, and less likely to argue, fight, or get angry than children with more risk factors.

Future studies will continue to follow the same sample of children through fifth grade, regularly gathering data on their reading and math achievement, social skills, physical development, and school experiences. The study will reveal the extent to which differences that exist when children enter school persist or change over time and how schooling influences progress.

The full text of The Kindergarten Year is available on the NCES Web site at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001023. A copy of the report can be ordered by calling toll free 1-877-4ED-PUBS (1-877-433-7827) TTY/TDD 1-877-576-7734; via e-mail at edpubs@inet.ed.gov;or through the Internet at http://www.EDpubs.gov.