Rethinking Readiness in Early Childhood Education

"In assembling a dazzling array of international authors engaged in rethinking readiness in early childhood education, Iorio and Parnell stimulate readers to re-imagine readiness that includes all its complexities, ambiguities, and paradoxical nature. The chapters encourage critical review of long-held assumptions and encourage new ways of reconceptualizing from a strong theoretical base. Viewing readiness from the perspectives of teachers, children, and parents, each chapter gives us new insight into this important educational policy issue." - Nicola Yelland, Professor and Director of Research in the College of Education, Victoria University, Australia "The rhetoric and so-called 'reforms' of education for our youngest children are deeply problematic, but insidiously so when the goals, narrowly defined as what makes children 'ready' for school, are based in deficit-laden concepts of childhood and learners. Such are the revelations by Iorio, Parnell, and colleagues in Rethinking Readiness in Early Childhood Education with its collection of original analyses that not only reframe how we ought to think about teaching children, but also showcase innovative approaches to doing so. Anyone concerned about early childhood education, and about young children in general, should read and discuss this important new book." - Kevin Kumashiro, author of Bad Teacher!: How Blaming Teachers Distorts the Bigger Picture (2012)

This book challenges traditional conceptions of readiness in early childhood education by sharing concrete examples of practice, policy and histories that rethink readiness. This book seeks to reimagine possible new educational worlds for young children.This book challenges traditional conceptions of readiness in early childhood education by sharing concrete examples of practice, policy and histories that rethink readiness. This book seeks to reimagine possible new educational worlds for young children.