This article was originally published in The Hechinger Report. ASTON, Pa.— In Jodie Murphy’s kindergarten class, math lessons go beyond the basics of counting and recognizing numbers. On a recent ...

EVERETT — On a quiet Valentine’s Day morning, a class of 4- and 5-year-olds at Jefferson Elementary took a seat on the classroom rug, each on a square that matches the color of their assigned desks.

In one Hemlock Elementary School kindergarten classroom Thursday morning, it was business as usual. Students modeled letters of the alphabet using Play-Doh, learned about the months of the year and ...