American Kindergarten: Dispatches from the First Year of School

An unexpected portrait of the first year of school for America’s youngest learners.

When we think of kindergarten, many might imagine joyous free play, and a tangle of trucks, dress-up clothes, and blocks, as five-year-olds explore their vivid imaginations and budding social skills. Others might envision a quiet group sitting cross-legged in a circle during story time. Neither of these scenes would be an inaccurate representation of the pivotal year of entry into traditional education in t...