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Classroom Practice/Program

The Impact of Increasing Academic

Pressure on Young Children,

Teachers, and Parents in Lieu of

Developmentally Appropriate

Activities and Curriculum

By Wendy Crawford

From the time I entered education as a primary teacher in 1975 until my time
as an early childhood principal from 1999–2018, I experienced an increased
expectation of academic achievement for young children. It seemed that as
test pressure increased in upper grades, more academic pressure was placed
on primary grades, fueled by the apparent belief that if we could only start the
children reading and doing computation earlier, they would be better prepared
for rigorous academic standards. Instead, what educators saw were more children
with behavior problems and more children being referred to special education.
Troubled by what I believed were not developmentally appropriate practices,
the staff and I read the literature and talked to peers in other districts. Working
with central staff, I secured a grant that provided training for our teachers on how
children learn and how to match our instruction to their learning strengths. Part of
this grant placed an Australian educator of young children in our early childhood
center for one year. In his experience, young learners in Australia were allowed
to progress at individual rates. Together, we worked to promote developmentally
appropriate practices of instruction and assessment at our early childhood center.
The Dilemma

Today’s kindergarten is often compared with yesterday’s first grade (Graue,
2019). In some districts, children are assessed prior to entering kindergarten
and grouped based on their knowledge of skills—skills they have not yet
been taught. As a result, some are viewed as “behind” before they have even
started! Interestingly, this increased academic expectation juxtaposes two
other movements in education: inclusion and diversity. Inclusion reminds
us that all children belong in the least restrictive environment with their
typically developing peers. Diversity speaks to the richness of our students’
cultures and experiences. I believe kindergarten teachers embrace each of
these concepts and desire to meet their individual students where they are,
both academically and developmentally, while embracing and respecting each
child’s background and values. To be authentic, this approach must be supported
through staff development and the supervision and observation process.

Collegial Exchange · 39