Kindergarten teachers' reported use of kindergarten to first grade transition practices

Using a national sample of 3,595 public school kindergarten teachers and an additional 176 kindergarten teachers in private schools, information was o btained about teachers' practices related to the transition of children int o first grade. Over half of public and private school teachers reported usi ng some form of first-grade transition practice. More teachers in private s chools reported using first-grade transition practices than teachers in pub lic schools. The most frequently reported first-grade transition practice w as meeting with first-grade teachers to discuss curriculum. More teachers r eported using transition practices that focused on teacher or child activit ies rather than transition practices that involved parents. Findings were s imilar across metropolitan status of the school, district levels of poverty , and minority representation in the schools. As district poverty and minor ity representation increased in the public school sample, fewer teachers re ported using transition practices. Findings are discussed in terms of an ec ological perspective on children's school transitions.