This is one in a series of posts examining the Common Core State Standards and the conversation surrounding their impact on teaching and learning.

Will the Common Core State Standards’ clear focus on reading and math in K-12 push down into PreK where educators in the past have emphasized the importance of play, social and emotional development and arts?

A new paper from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) advocates for early childhood educators to join the dialogue around the standards and to push back and, and “push up,” the research and practices they know work in the early years.

With schools in 46 states implementing the new standards for Kindergarten and up, the question is how should that affect what’s taught before Kindergarten. Some educators say they may need to adjust and align PreK instruction to the Common Core even though these new standards don’t explicitly address the earlier years.

“Aligning standards for K–12 with early learning standards presents a number of challenges, including the very real potential for “push-down,” where the K–12 standards may exert pressure on states to modify their oftentimes well-developed early learning standards to align with those for programs serving older children. The early childhood field should not allow for alignment to flow only downward but should advocate for the “push-up” of early childhood standards to inform ongoing development of K–12 standards, including those in areas not part of the Common Core.,” the report reads.

For all the early childhood educators out there, is this something you’re talking about?

(Flickr photo by goaliej54)