From Child’s Garden to Academic Press

Abstract

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.