Journal
AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL
Volume 48, Issue 2, Pages 236-267Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.3102/0002831210372135
Keywords
education policy; kindergarten; organizational theory
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The impermeability of schooling to reform is a frequent conclusion of studies of educational organizations, but historical accounts suggest that kindergartens have undergone significant transformation. Once a transitional year emphasizing child development, kindergarten now marks the beginning of formal academic instruction. Guided by institutional theory, this article explores the evolution of public discourse about kindergarten by analyzing newspaper articles, policy documents, and professional association activities. I argue that the media advanced academic messages about kindergarten before state activism, while the state later embedded an academic model in policy. The case of kindergarten surfaces general implications for understanding educational change, highlighting how new ideas and practices are advanced by a diverse set of actors in the organizational field.
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