Dive Brief:

• Preschool may be getting more attention nationally, but several states still lag on their Kindergarten requirements, reports Education Week.
• Laws on kindergarten vary from state to state, with only 15 state requiring students to attend and some states only mandating that a "half-day" of kindergarten be little more than a few hours, according to the Education Commission of the States in Denver.
• New state standards, like the Common Core, place increased emphasis on kindergarten, echoing sentiments from researchers that is is the "new first grade" and critical to the development of literacy and accountability.

Dive Insight:

Ultimately, there's a breakdown between what research suggests and what states actually require. With the increased focus on preschool programming nationwide, this might even call into question whether increased effort to provide more robust kindergarten instruction might lessen the need for increased pre-K programming.

Among suggestions from policy experts at organizations like the New America Foundation: Retiring "half day" and "full day" labeling, and treating it like a fully fledged grade.