Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/58727
appropriate for many kids who really need to learn how to sit down, listen, develop self-control and become ready for kinder- garten, so they can be successful." Some children go to kindergarten before they are ready, especially in low- income households, because parents can't afford preschool. Then teachers face the dilemma of holding students back and having them feel like failures, or passing them along to the next grade level where they may fall even further behind. "I really hope the state decides to mandate transitional kindergarten," says Melendez. "I think it's a wonderful idea." Ruthie Fagerstrom, chair of CTA's Early Childhood Education Commit- tee, believes TK would level the playing field for low-income youngsters, since only about half of California children eligible for publicly subsidized preschool programs are enrolled. As a second- and third-grade intervention teacher at Stan- ton Elementary School in Glendora, she sees firsthand problems that youngsters encounter when they go into kindergar- ten without being ready. "These are children that are recom- Lisl Christie plays "telephone" with a banana at San Miguel Elementary in Santa Rosa with student Manuel Flores. mended for retention; these children have a lot of interventions and they may be referred to other types of programs the school may offer," says Fagerstrom, vice president of the Glendora Teachers Association. "You can't rush matu- rity. But you can fill in some holes that may be there by providing more building blocks and basics that are really important with a child's ability to perform in school." DISTRICTS ARE UNCERTAIN When legislation passed making TK mandatory, many districts put a great deal of effort into planning its implementation and curricu- lum. Now that it may be voluntary, many districts are rethinking their plans for TK — or canceling it. Officials of 12 of the state's largest districts, contacted by EdSource, indicated a wide range of responses to the TK flip-flop. According to Preschool Califor- nia, more than 100 school districts have started TK pilot programs on Transitional kindergarten is more developmentally appropriate for many kids who really need to learn how to sit down, listen, develop self-control and become ready for kindergarten, so they can be successful. GEORGE MELENDEZ 14 California Educator / March 2012 their own, or plan to launch them in the fall regardless of the governor's budget proposal. Some are taking a "wait and see" attitude, including Lodi, Mount Diablo Unified and Capistrano Unified. Others canceled plans for TK outright, including San Francisco, Anaheim City and Gar- den Grove, says EdSource, which predicts most districts will probably not have a program this fall if the governor's plan is approved by lawmakers. Sen. Simit ian has charged that this inconsistency will create "unequal access" to children in Cali- fornia because TK will be available for some children but not for all, which could impact the future suc- cess of low-income students. "Education cuts at any level are foolish in a state in which schools are already starving," writes Deb- orah Stipek, a former dean and professor at Stanford University's