The Long Reach of Early Math Skills Greg J. Duncan School of Education University of California, Irvine

How important are school-entry and K-5 mathematics skills for: School achievement School achievement High school completion and college enrollment High school completion and college enrollment Crime in early adulthood Crime in early adulthood

Early Skills and Behaviors AchievementAttention Problem Behaviors Description:Concrete math and reading skills Ability to control impulses and focus on tasks i) Ability to get along with others ii) Sound mental health Example test areas or question wording: Knowing letters and numbers; beginning word sounds, word problems Can’t sit still; can’t concentrate; score from a computer test of impulse control i) Cheats or tells lies, bullies, is disobedient at school ii) Is sad, moody

Simple associations with later achievement Duncan et al., Developmental Psychology, 2007

Simple associations with later achievement

Effects on later achievement

Effects of persistent K-5 problems on high school dropout

Effects of persistent K-5 problems on never attending college

Summary Early math skills (controlling IQ) correlated most strongly with future school achievement Early math skills (controlling IQ) correlated most strongly with future school achievement Children with persistently low K-5 math skills: Children with persistently low K-5 math skills: –More likely to drop out of high school –Considerably less likely to attend college

Greg J. Duncan School of Education University of California, Irvine