Beyond the DAP versus standards dilemma: Examining the unforgiving complexity of kindergarten teaching in the United States

This article presents findings from a qualitative study of two kindergarten teachers’ responses to the professional demands posed by recent shifts in national and state education policies in the United States. Although the literature has framed the practical challenges resulting from these changing expectations in terms of curricular/instructional tensions between developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) and academic standards, study participants indicated adapting to the changing climate of kindergarten, managing the expectations of their students’ parents, and responding to the demands of the first grade teachers at their school site were their most significant challenges. These findings suggest looking beyond our current framing of the situation to examine the full range of complexities and opportunities facing kindergarten teachers will lead to deeper understandings of the ways in which practitioners experience and respond to the new demands and changing expectations shaping their work.