Transitional kindergarten starts the pipeline

California’s move to establish Universal Transitional Kindergarten (TK) marks one of the most significant early learning shifts in public education.

When California expanded Universal TK through AB 130 in 2021, the policy focused on a broader research consensus that high quality pre-kindergarten instruction improves early literacy, language development, mathematics skills, and overall school readiness. The research also suggests that this particularly benefits students who are economically disadvantaged and dual language learners (Manship et al., 2017; Meloy et al., 2019; Phillips et al., 2017). Access to TK alone is not enough.

Seeing the end of the pipeline As a high school assistant principal, I have spent much of my leadership work looking at the far end of the K-12 pipeline. I see students gearing up for graduation, applying to college, and enrolling in college-level courses like Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses. I also see the gaps. Some students arrive at senior year with years of access, confidence, prior academic preparation, and guidance. Others arrive with potential that has not always been matched by opportunity. In my own dissertation work, I have studied patterns of participation and performance in college-level courses in high school. The data highlights an important story about who accesses rigorous opportunities by grade 12 and who does not. The gap of participation and performance is not unique to one school or district. Research on Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment has consistently shown that access to college-level courses remains uneven across student groups (Klopfenstein, 2004; Patrick et al., 2020, Xu et al., 2021).

Gaps do not begin in high school.

By the time students are selecting AP courses or other college-level courses, many of their academic experiences have already shaped what they believe is possible. The confidence to speak and self-regulate, and the early development of literacy and social skills begin much earlier.

TK as an equity starting point California’s expansion of Universal Transitional Kindergarten is not simply an early-childhood initiative. It is an initiative to close an equity gap. TK is not just the beginning of school, it is the front of the K-12 pipeline.

As I transition from high school leadership into an elementary principal role, I am beginning to see early learning through a new lens. Human Capital theory reminds us that education is an investment in students’ lifelong outcomes (Becker, 1994). Opportunity to Learn theory makes us ask whether students have had the time, access, resources, and instructional conditions needed to succeed before we focus on outcomes alone (Carroll, 1963).

If high schools are where opportunity gaps become wide, early childhood is where we have one of our best chances to prevent those gaps from widening. Universal TK gives California a powerful opportunity, but access alone will not guarantee equitable success. The question for educational leaders should be: what systems are we building around our youngest learners to make sure TK becomes more than a seat in a classroom?

Using MTSS to make TK count One helpful answer is through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework. MTSS reminds us that student success is not built by being reactive when children struggle, it is built by designing strong universal supports while identifying needs early, and providing timely interventions that are academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and inclusive.

In TK, MTSS begins with Tier 1: the universal experience every child receives. For 4-year-olds, strong Tier 1 instruction must be appropriate based on their developmental stage: play-based, language-rich, and relationship-centered.

The second layer of the work is early intervention. If TK is the front of the pipeline to K-12, early intervention and support are essential. Students should not have to struggle for multiple years before interventions are implemented.

TK gives educators a chance to notice developmental, language, behavioral, and academic needs earlier, when intervention can be most powerful.

This is especially important for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, foster youth, and children who have not attended preschool. These students should not enter school and be viewed through a deficit lens. They should be able to enter a system designed to understand their strengths, identify their needs, and respond with support.

Supporting early educators As an elementary school principal, one of my priorities is to ensure that TK and early educators are supported to meet complex developmental, behavioral, and language needs with training, collaboration, and resources. Educational leaders can support this work in practical ways, such as creating time for TK, kindergarten, special education, and intervention teams to collaborate. Another way to support this work is to visit TK classrooms that are established and successful in language development, direct instruction, interaction, belonging, etc.

Building trust with families Family engagement is imperative at all levels, but especially important for TK families. For many families, TK is their first formal experience with the public school system. That first experience can build trust and a strong relationship or create distance. Enrollment processes, orientations, communication, translation, drop-off routines, and a welcoming front office all send a message about whether families belong.

Leadership opportunity Universal TK is not going to solve every inequity in public education, but it is an opportunity to begin earlier, respond faster, and design better systems for children and families. Equity is not won or lost in one grade level, it accumulates.

The senior walking across the graduation stage and the 4-year-old walking into TK for the first time are part of the same story. Our responsibility as educational leaders is to make sure that story begins with opportunity.

References

• Becker, G. S. (1994). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
• Carroll, J. B. (1963). A model of school learning. Teachers College Record, 64(8), 723–733. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146816306400801
• Klopfenstein, K. (2004). Advanced Placement: Do minorities have equal opportunity? Economics of Education Review, 23(2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-7757(03)00076-1
• Manship, K., Holod, A., Quick, H., Ogut, B., Brodziak de los Reyes, I., Anthony, J., Chernoff, J. J., Hauser, A., Martin, A., Keuter, S., Vontsolos, E., Rein, E., & Anderson, E. (2017). The impact of transitional kindergarten on California students: Final report from the study of California’s transitional kindergarten program. American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Transitional-Kindergarten-Final-Report-June-2017-rev.pdf
• Meloy, B., Gardner, M., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2019). Untangling the evidence on preschool effectiveness: Insights for policymakers. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/untangling-evidence-preschool-effectiveness
• Patrick, K., Socol, A., & Morgan, I. (2020). Inequities in advanced coursework: What’s driving them and what leaders can do. The Education Trust. https://edtrust.org/resource/inequities-in-advanced-coursework/
• Phillips, D. A., Lipsey, M. W., Dodge, K. A., Haskins, R., Bassok, D., Burchinal, M. R., Duncan, G. J., Dynarski, M., Magnuson, K. A., & Weiland, C. (2017). Puzzling it out: The current state of scientific knowledge on pre-kindergarten effects: A consensus statement. In The current state of scientific knowledge on pre-kindergarten effects (pp. 19–30). The Brookings Institution & Duke University. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/duke_prekstudy_final_4-4-17_hires.pdf
• Xu, D., Solanki, S., & Fink, J. (2021). College acceleration for all? Mapping racial/ethnic gaps in Advanced Placement and dual enrollment participation. American Educational Research Journal, 58(5), 954–992. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831221991138