Student underachievement in kindergarten through Grade 3 continues to be a challenge in the Philadelphia School District. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive correlation study was to examine, using record archives from one Philadelphia school, whether there is a relationship between (a) reading achievement scores for the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) test in 3rd grade and kindergarten attendance, (b) gender and students' scores in kindergarten and 3rd grade, (c) kindergarten teacher attendance and kindergarten students' scores in 3rd grade, and (d) parental involvement in kindergarten and kindergarten students' scores in 3rd grade. Due to federal achievement mandates, the study contains a review and critique of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The learning theories of Piaget and Vygotsky were used to support the importance of primary education. DIBELS reading scores for 3rd grade students were used in the study to compare those who enrolled in public kindergarten (n = 120) and those who did not enroll in public kindergarten (n = 77). The results from the multifactor analysis of variance showed that 3rd grade reading achievement was not significantly higher for students who enrolled in kindergarten. There were no significant relationships between scores and teacher attendance and parental involvement.in kindergarten; however, reading achievement was significantly different between male and female 3rd graders (n = 197) in the total sample. This study has implications for constructive social change in that school administrators who read the findings may make more informed decisions about student access to early intervention programs and progress monitoring assessments to increase reading development. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]