SuccessfulKindergartenTransitionExcerpt.pdf

Excerpted from Chapter 1 of Successful Kindergarten Transition: Your Guide to
Connecting Children, Families, and Schools
By Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D., and Marcia Kraft-Sayre, L.C.S.W.
Copyright ©2003. Brookes Publishing. All rights reserved.

MODELS OF TRANSITION

Children's transition into kindergarten can be considered in a variety of ways. To
understand the approach to transition described in this volume, it is useful to describe
other models of transition. Four ways to think about transition are 1) a skills only
model that targets children's skills as the key influence on school adjustment, 2)
an environmental input model, in which children's skills at any given time are
influenced by their experiences in key settings, 3) a linked environments model that,
building on the others, recognizes the importance of connections across settings (e.g.,
relationships between parents and preschool providers), and 4) a developmental
model of transition, which incorporates all of the elements of the prior models,
emphasizes connections and linkages across settings over time, and also informs our
approach. (See Rimm-Kauffman & Pianta, 2001, for a fuller discussion of these
models.)

The following presentation of the models of transition is not an academic exercise
removed from the reality of practices and experiences—it is a useful tool that reflects
them. The description of each model presents quotations from interviews we
conducted with parents, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals
connected with transition planning. The quotations offer a glimpse into the ways that
these different people experience transition and the ideas that guide their work.

Skills Only Model

The skills only model is a child-focused perspective that views the transition to
kindergarten in terms of the abilities and skills the child brings with him or her on the
first day of school (see Figure 1.1). School adjustment is understood in terms of child
characteristics, such as readiness and level of maturation.

"You start seeing behavior problems and adjustment problems in preschool.
Sometimes at the start of kindergarten, it can still be just a maturity issue, but if it is a
maturity issue, then at the end of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade they
get over it."

Furthermore, in this model, children's problems in school may not be viewed as
related to their transition experiences. Transition, in this case, is narrowly defined:

"This child doesn't have any problems with transition even though she has other
issues, academic issues that I see, but not transition issues."

Although children's skills and abilities do indeed play a role in their adjustment to
school (Alexander & Entwisle, 1988; Christian, Morrison, & Bryant, 1998), their
skills and abilities do not account for the majority of individual differences in
children's school adjustment (LaParo & Pianta, 1998; Pianta & McCoy, 1997). For
example, measures of children's academic and cognitive abilities and skills in
preschool account for less than 30% of the differences in these skills among children
once they enter kindergarten. Measurements of the social skills valued by
kindergarten teachers as signs of adjustment correspond even less in preschool and
kindergarten. Thus, understanding transition outcomes requires focusing on influences
on school outcomes beyond characteristics of the child.

Environmental Input Model

The environmental input model describes experiences in a variety of social settings as
contributing to children's skills and adjustment at any given time (see Figure 1.2).
Input from experiences with family, peers, school, and community settings affect the
child's skills. For example, peer relationships and classroom characteristics, such as
class size and classroom quality, influence the child's performance (Graue, 1999;
Howes, 1990; Ladd & Price, 1987). Many people who agree with this model of
transition believe that social experiences outside of school (e.g., whether a parent
reads to the child, teaches him or her letters, or shows the child how to tie a shoe) can
affect how a child adjusts to school.

School adjustment is viewed as a function of the structure and emotional climate of
the classroom. Positive teacher qualities, a clear structure, and older peers serving as
buddies can help children's transition to the new environment:

"Having nurturing qualities in teachers is what really helps any kid get used to school
as a first-time experience."

"Setting limits and having a routine for them are important."

"I try to keep my schedule exactly the same, and if I can do that for them, then they're
fine."

What is missing from this model is an emphasis on experiences over time and how
different settings are connected to one another. The teachers quoted here do not see
transition and school adjustment as interrelated processes. For them, the adjustment to
school pertains strictly to what happens in the kindergarten classroom and not to the child's family relationships or previous experiences. These teachers understand
transition as occurring only within this setting, and they do not connect this context
with other contexts, such as the home environment or preschool experiences. Nor are
contexts viewed as interacting over time. For example, this teacher does not see
parental factors as related to children's adjustment:

"I don't think the parent's expectations really have a lot to do with how well the kids
[make the] transition. Those are just parent issues that they have sometimes coming
from certain situations, but that doesn't really make a difference to me at least with
how the kids do."

Linked Environments Model

The linked environments model includes the ways in which connections between key
settings or people in key settings in the child's life (e.g., the parents' comfort and
communication with the preschool teacher) can affect the child's adjustment. In the
linked environments model, children's skills; experiences with family, peers, schools,
and the community; and the connections among people and settings all influence
school adjustment at a given time (see Figure 1.3). For example, family involvement
indirectly influences children's school success. Strong connections between families
and schools are linked with positive child outcomes beyond any direct effect the
families or the schools have on children (Epstein, 1996; Reynolds, 1989). Although
this model considers the interactions of multiple relationships surrounding the child, it
regards these relationships as static rather than as developing over time.

Whereas some kindergarten teachers do not identify previous experiences and family
background as contributing to children's school adjustment, others believe that
positive family environments, preschool, and other structured experiences contribute
to a successful transition. If children lack these experiences or face emotional
challenges, teachers often feel that the adjustment to kindergarten may be a problem:

"Just the fact that they are in a preschool and doing something and not doing
whatever they might do at home — at least they're being exposed to books one year
earlier."*

"I find the hardest children to deal with here in the classroom are those who are able
to run free at home, who don't have the structure, and whose parents don't have*
control."

"The ones that have the biggest problems are the ones that haven't had a routine, and
don't know what that is to have some expectations."

These teachers mention the importance of parent attitude and involvement in
promoting children's adjustment. Parents' comfort level influences the transition for
children:

"Parents' attitude plays a big part. If a parent doesn't want the child to come, it really
plays on the child."

"The parents' perception of school, if they like school, if they are comfortable here,
makes a big difference [to the child's transition]. They are just more at ease, and that*
goes back to their children and their children are more at ease here."*

"Having the feeling that they're welcome at school and comfortable in the school and
not intimidated and more willing to work together [are important]."

Developmental Model

The developmental model incorporates all of the components of these three
perspectives and adds the important dimension of time, a critical aspect of the
transition process. This model is described as developmental because it emphasizes
change and development over time in the key features and experiences that affect
children's adjustment to kindergarten. Child, family, school, peer, and community
factors are interconnected and interdependent with one another not only at a given
time but throughout the transition process (see Figure 1.4). Based on Bronfenbrenner
and Morris's (1998) bioecological model and Pianta and Walsh's (1996) contextual
systems model, the developmental model considers the key changes in relationships
among the child, school, family, and community as the child moves from
prekindergarten experiences to formal schooling. Rather than understanding a child's
transition solely in terms of his or her skills or the influences on those skills at any
given time, this perspective emphasizes how the connections and relationships that
support the child develop over time.

When transition practices and plans foster positive relationships, they support the
child's successful school adjustment. This model provides a framework for thinking
about these relationships and generating ideas about which relationships to foster and
how to develop them. Specifically, relationships between preschool teachers and
kindergarten teachers, among peers, and between families and schools can serve as a
bridge from preschool to kindergarten and foster children's adjustment. The
developmental model of transition results in transition plans that help schools reach
out to families before school starts, help communities foster links between preschools
and kindergartens, and promote personal connections before the first day of school. In
these ways, this model is consistent with the National Education Goals Panel's (1998)
first goal that children will start school ready to learn and that schools will be ready
for children.

The transition process is multifaceted and varies greatly from school to school. It
depends on the perceptions of parents and teachers and their beliefs regarding the
factors important to helping children adjust to kindergarten. Fundamentally, transition
is a process that involves four facets: ready schools, community participation and
support, family knowledge and involvement, and preschools and child care settings
committed to preparing children. The goal of this transition approach is to facilitate an
ongoing relationship-building process among all partners. In developing, designing,
and implementing transition plans in communities and districts, we use a set of
guiding principles to inform our work. These principles are derived from the way we
think about transition and the available evidence of what makes a successful transition
for children, families, and schools.