In both Europe and the United States, students with disabilities (SWDs) are increasingly being placed in traditional schools. And while there are more-and-more SWDs are starting kindergarten in traditional schools, the field actually knows very little about whether full-day kindergarten (FDK) versus part-day kindergarten (PDK) is more beneficial for SWDs.

Given this, not knowing the effects of FDK on SWDs is a significant oversight – both the utilization of FDK has increased and has the projected rates of SWDs who will enter school in upcoming decades. Therefore, policy implications about the general short- and long-term effectiveness of FDK cannot be properly made without knowing the effects on all students, including those with disabilities. Therefore, this study was the first to ask the following two research questions:

1. Do short- and long-term achievement outcomes differ for SWDs in FDK versus PDK?

2. Does this differ by type of disability?

Only one known study has examined FDK versus PDK for SWDs. Gottfried and Le (2016) found that SWDs in FDK have higher academic performance at the end of kindergarten compared to SWDs in PDK. Longer-term outcomes were unavailable at the time the study. Thus, there remains a gap in the literature as to whether the short- and long-term academic patterns of FDK in the general population mirror those in the SWD population.

Given the little research in this area, policy makers and practitioners have mostly relied on speculation as to whether the short- and long-term academic effects of attending FDK might be larger than attending PDK. And because of the little evidence and support in this area, they remained divided on whether SWDs benefit from attending FDK versus PDK.

Supporters of FDK for SWDs believe that the longer school day allows teachers more occasions to observe and identify SWDs and address their academic needs. These proponents argue that the needs of SWDs are less likely to be supported in a shorter instructional day, and that these missed opportunities for extended academic support can compromise children’s performance in subsequent grades. FDK also allows SWDs who might be experiencing academic issues to have more time to complete their schoolwork (Elicker & Mathur, 1997), hence setting them on a trajectory for academic success in kindergarten as well as in years to follow. Critics of FDK for SWDs have questioned the ability of young children to focus and learn for extended periods of time (Karweit, 1992), and this may be especially poignant for those SWDs who have poorer self-direction and attention skills (Blackorby 2010). Studies have shown that by virtue of the longer school day, more academic content is covered in FDK programs (Bassok & Rorem, 2014). An academically-oriented FDK program could exacerbate academic issues faced by some SWDs, many of whom are already at risk by taxing their attention spans and inducing frustration and behavioral problems (Janus, Lefort, Cameron, & Kopechanski, 2007; Kazak & Marvin, 1984; Ray, 2003).

These contrasting perspectives about the value of FDK programs can render it difficult to solidify our understanding of how FDK might affect achievement for SWDs over the long-term. Results from this exploratory study can help inform policymakers’ decisions about implementing FDK on a larger scale by examining the range of effects FDK has on different child populations, and by identifying the duration for which significant effects are observed. More so, as children with disabilities continue to be educated in traditional classrooms and schools, understanding the role that this schooling structure plays will help to more effectively guide policy and practice to ensure the success of all children in early school years.

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