When Children Start from Behind Deborah Stipek, Stanford University

Children from economically disadvantaged homes are typically dramatically behind more economically advantaged children when they begin school. Children from economically disadvantaged homes are typically dramatically behind more economically advantaged children when they begin school.

Basic Skills Basic Skills MathLiteracy

McCarthy Subscales VocabularyConceptual Grouping Numerical MemoryVerbal Fluency

Children who enter school with poor academic skills rarely catch up; performance in the early years of school is highly predictive of achievement much later. Children who enter school with poor academic skills rarely catch up; performance in the early years of school is highly predictive of achievement much later.

States need to increase opportunities for economically disadvantaged children to develop cognitive skills

BUT… 1. Be realistic: You cannot “fix” the achievement gap through early childhood education. Inequity in school quality is a major reason for economically disadvantaged children’s failure to catch up. If inequities in the quality of schools that children enter persist, investments in preschool will be lost.

2. Attend to all aspects of children’s development that are known to affect learning. Physical health Social skills & emotion self-regulation Dispositions toward learning Special disabilities

3. Consider carefully the strategies you use to improve children’s cognitive skills Some preschool teaching strategies will do more harm than good Some preschool teaching strategies will do more harm than good

Didactic, teacher-directed, scripted teaching, which emphasizes component skills (e.g., letter names, counting) disconnected from children’s real-life experiences can promote: stress (e.g., fearfulness, anxiety) challenge avoidance behavior reduced self-confidence noncompliance & discipline problems dependency

Much is known about effective instruction, especially in literacy and math: Individualized – adjusted to children’s skill levels, interests, and culture Builds on children’s current understandings (requires frequent assessment) Coherent – creates links among skills/subjects Active – engages children in problem-solving and manipulation of materials Diverse activities and teaching strategies Planned & purposeful, but not scripted

Implications for state planning Goals and standards need to be well articulated Instruction doesn’t necessarily look like the standard Assessments need to be linked to goals and to be developmentally appropriate Teachers need to be well trained