In England, before kindergarten, the kids are expected to master telling time, fractions, counting in 5's to fifty and reading books. U.S. pre-k is not so academically oriented, and standards vary from state to state.

Interestingly, that doesn't lead to English students outperforming their counterparts across the world. On one test, English 4th grade reading scores were the same as for the United States, and both were lower than a number of other nations. On another test, English 15-year olds did outperform U.S. students in math.

Teachers and parents - what do YOU think students should have mastered or learned before starting kindergarten? Is it as simple as tying their shoes and mastering quiet time (both of which could increase instructional time) or should it be more academic oriented such as reading and numbers?