In the past decade, most states, numerous school districts, and dozens of private foundations have poured resources into a phenomenon called “school readiness”—a trend in policies and initiatives that holds promise for making an enormous difference for a generation of children who will be entering schools over the next decade. This important confluence of commitment, energy and effort seeks better outcomes for children once they enter kindergarten through provision of services such as quality early childhood education, parenting education, family supports and basic health care. But as it stands, the school readiness movement’s inattention to the role of culture and language in a child’s development, its lack of responsiveness to the realities of immigrant families and communities, its failures to monitor impact on marginalized communities, and its increasing emphasis on rigid and narrowly defined academic goals for very young children are giving rise to serious unintended consequences for children and families in our diverse nation. Ready or Not? is an urgent call to policymakers, family and child advocates, funders, immigrant-serving organizations, early childhood educators and K-12 educators to engage in dialogue about the impact of school readiness efforts on immigrant families in particular – to examine basic assumptions, as well as differences in agendas. The report has chapters on the political context for school readiness initiatives, the central role of families, the complexities of culture and language in early child development and learning, testing and assessment, a “ready schools” agenda, and a final chapter presents a vision of asset-based immigrant-responsive school readiness. A bibliography is included.

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