Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The multi-grade education philosophy—defined as grouping children of two or more grades into a single classroom—has long been a part of the U.S. educational system. During the early elementary school years, these classrooms serve up to 5% of children (Thomas, 2012) and although they are often encouraged from an educational standpoint, they typically arise because of economic and logistical constraints (Burns & Mason, 2002). Whether these classrooms help (or hinder) children’s school success, especially during the transition to kindergarten, has been a subject of great debate. This study attempts to bridge these gaps in knowledge by using data from the ECLS-K class of 2010 (n=11,000) to address the following research questions (RQ):

RQ1. What classroom processes distinguish multi-grade programs that combine pre-K and kindergarten as compared with kindergarten-only classrooms?

RQ2. How do the educational outcomes of 5-year-olds in multi-grade classrooms compare with those of 5-year-olds in kindergarten-only classrooms?

RQ3. What are the mechanisms through which multi-grade classrooms affect 5-year-old’s school success?

To address these RQ, I use regression methods. All models: (a) adjust for a wide range of child, family, and neighborhood factors; (b) are weighted to be nationally representative; and (c) account for the nested structure of the sampling frame. Children’s academic skills (i.e., math and literacy) and executive function (i.e., working memory and cognitive flexibility) were directly assessed in the fall and spring of the school year, and teachers at the same time points reported on children’s social-behavior (i.e., externalizing, internalizing, and social skills). Teachers also reported on their time use (e.g., time spent in math, literacy, whole group, small group).

With regards to RQ1, results revealed that 5-year-olds in multi-grade classrooms spent less time per week in whole group (5 hours less) and small group activities (1 hour less). In contrast, these children spent roughly 3 hours more per week in individual activities and over 6 hours more in child-selected activities. Five-year-olds in multi-grade classrooms also experienced less literacy (3 hours less) and math activities (0.5 hours less) as compared with their same-aged peers in kindergarten-only classrooms. In terms of RQ2, children who attended multi-grade classrooms demonstrated fewer gains in math, literacy, and cognitive flexibility throughout the kindergarten year, with effect sizes ranging from 15-19% of a standard deviation (SD). Similar, albeit marginal, patterns emerged for children’s working memory (10% of a SD, p< .10) and externalizing behavior (12% of a SD, p<.10), but no significant differences were documented for children’s internalizing problems or social skills.

Having established the disparities in children’s early learning and development as a function of classroom type, the final objective was to examine the processes underlying these differences. Results from mediation models revealed that the negative associations between multi-grade classrooms and children’s early learning were attenuated by over half and were largely due to the differences in the time children spent in teacher-directed instruction (ps< .001). Taken together, this study begins to provide a large-scale national portrait of the similarities and differences in two educational philosophies when implemented in kindergarten.