Early Educational Achievement Research Articles

Evaluation of the Language-related Domain of the Pediatric Developmental Screening Instrument for Preschool Health Examinations (SOPESS): Results from the Prospective Child Health Survey ikidS

Developmental delays at school enrollment can affect early educational achievement. Thus, diagnosis and treatment prior to school entry are important. In Germany, SOPESS - a pediatric developmental screening instrument for preschool health examinations (PHE) - was introduced in several federal states. We investigated the relationships between the results of the language-related domain of the SOPESS and later academic language competencies at the end of first grade. Data of the population-based cohort study ikidS (Rhineland Palatinate; Germany) and the PHE provided by public health authorities were linked at individual level. The relationship between the SOPESS-language risk score (range: 0 to 6, higher values indicate more developmental delay) and class teacher-based ratings of academic language competencies (range: -4 to+4, higher values indicate better competencies) was investigated with linear regression models and adjusted for several socio-economic and medical language predictors (e. g. age at school entry, gender, parental education, migration background, hearing disorder). The additional benefits of the SOPESS-language risk score was analyzed using analysis of variance. In total, 1357 children (48% girls, age at PHE 4.9-7.2 years) were included. A clear negative relationship between the SOPESS-language risk score and competencies in spoken and written language was found. Mean academic language competencies decreased with increasing SOPESS-language risk level from 0.8 (SD=1.7) at a risk score of 0 to-3.2 (SD=0.9) at a risk score of 6. The relationship persisted after adjusting for other language predictors. Analysis of variance showed significant benefits of the SOPESS-language risk score, even when further language predictors were considered. There was a clear relationship between results of the SOPESS-language screening and later academic language competencies. Hence, the language-related domain of the SOPESS may be useful for further recommendations of tailored special educational and medical support services, especially if additional socio-economic and medical factors are considered.

Gender gaps in early educational achievement

This paper analyzes the source of the gender gap in third-grade numeracy and reading. We adopt an Oaxaca-Blinder approach and decompose the gender gap in educational achievement into endowment and response components. Our estimation relies on unusually rich panel data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children in which information on child development reported by parents and teachers is linked to each child’s results on a national, standardized achievement test. We find that girls in low- and middle-socio-economic-status (SES) families have an advantage in reading, while boys in high-SES families have an advantage in numeracy. Girls score higher on their third-grade reading tests in large part because they were more ready for school at age 4 and had better teacher-assessed literacy skills in kindergarten. Boys’ advantage in numeracy occurs because they achieve higher numeracy test scores than girls with the same education-related characteristics.

Gender Gaps in Early Educational Achievement

This paper analyzes the source of the gender gap in third grade numeracy and reading. We adopt an Oaxaca-Blinder approach and decompose the gender gap in educational achievement into endowment and response components. Our estimation relies on unusually rich panel data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children in which information on child development reported by parents and teachers is linked to each child’s results on a national, standardized achievement test. We find that girls in low- and middle-SES families have an advantage in reading, while boys in highSES families have an advantage in numeracy. Girls score higher on their third grade reading tests in large part because they were more ready for school at age four and had better teacher-assessed literacy skills in kindergarten. Boys’ advantage in numeracy occurs because they achieve higher numeracy test scores than girls with the same education-related characteristics. Classification-J16, I21, I24

Gender Gaps in Early Educational Achievement

This paper analyzes the source of the gender gap in third grade numeracy and reading. We adopt an Oaxaca-Blinder approach and decompose the gender gap in educational achievement into endowment and response components. Our estimation relies on unusually rich panel data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children in which information on child development reported by parents and teachers is linked to each child's results on a national, standardized achievement test. We find that girls in low- and middle-SES families have an advantage in reading, while boys in high-SES families have an advantage in numeracy. Girls score higher on their third grade reading tests in large part because they were more ready for school at age four and had better teacher-assessed literacy skills in kindergarten. Boys' advantage in numeracy occurs because they achieve higher numeracy test scores than girls with the same education-related characteristics.

Rejoinder: how to reduce racial disparities?: Upon what to intervene?

Rejoinder: how to reduce racial disparities?: Upon what to intervene?

Exposure to Local Homicides and Early Educational Achievement in Mexico

We investigate the effect of children’s exposure to local violence on grade failure in Mexico. We construct an annual panel of all elementary schools from 1990 to 2010 and merge municipality-level homicide rates to analyze the effect of exposure to local homicide. Using a variety of causal inference techniques, we consistently find that exposure to local violence increases the probability of failing a grade in elementary school. This effect is net of demographic, economic, and migratory trends usually associated with violence and is likely driven by heightened fear and anxiety and change in parenting practices. Our findings suggest that violent crime in children’s environments compromises early educational achievement and may have long-lasting consequences on human capital formation and economic well-being.

Socioeconomic Status and Parent–Child Relationships Predict Metacognitive Questions to Preschoolers

The importance of metacognitive language exposure to early educational achievement is widely recognized in the development literature. However, few studies have explored parents' metacognitive language, while accounting for family SES and stress within the parent-child relationship. This is a preliminary descriptive study to explore metacognitive language to preschoolers during a collaborative task, and explored family SES (parent education and occupation) and stress within the parent-child relationship as predictors. Using partial correlations controlling for child age and language ability, parent education, occupation, and stress associated with parent-child dysfunctional interaction were found to significantly correlate with parents' metacognitive questions. A hierarchical regression (controlling for child age and language ability) indicated that only parent education levels uniquely predicted questions overall.

Social and behavioral skills and the gender gap in early educational achievement

Though many studies have suggested that social and behavioral skills play a central role in gender stratification processes, we know little about the extent to which these skills affect gender gaps in academic achievement. Analyzing data from the Early Child Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort, we demonstrate that social and behavioral skills have substantively important effects on academic outcomes from kindergarten through fifth grade. Gender differences in the acquisition of these skills, moreover, explain a considerable fraction of the gender gap in academic outcomes during early elementary school. Boys get roughly the same academic return to social and behavioral skills as their female peers, but girls begin school with more advanced social and behavioral skills and their skill advantage grows over time. While part of the effect may reflect an evaluation process that rewards students who better conform to school norms, our results imply that the acquisition of social and behavioral skills enhances learning as well. Our results call for a reconsideration of the family and school-level processes that produce gender gaps in social and behavioral skills and the advantages they confer for academic and later success.

Parent Involvement as Parental Monitoring of Student Motivation and Parent Expectations Predicting Later Achievement Among African American and European American Middle School Age Students

SUMMARY Parent involvement and parent expectations are fundamental to academic success. However, much of the research has been with elementary school aged children; consequently, we know less about the influence of parent involvement and parent expectations on the academic achievement of middle school students, and we have even less information for African American (AA) students. Do parent involvement and parent expectations have a similar effect on later Grade Point Average (GPA) for European American (EA) and AA middle school youth? Data from 567 AA and EA urban youth who participated in a longitudinal study were used in this analysis. Within group hierarchical regression analyses reveal parent involvement and parent expectations are statistically significant for both groups. However, partial correlations indicate parental involvement represents the highest unique contribution to later grade point average for EA students, and for AA students, earlier educational achievement represents the highest unique contribution to later grade point average. Implications for practice suggest that approaches to increase parent involvement may work well with improving academic achievement of EA youth, while approaches to increase early educational achievement may work well with AA students.

Legacies: the story of the immigrant second generation

List of Tables and Figures Preface Acknowledgments 1. Twelve Stories Miami Stories MarIa de los Angeles and Yvette Santana: August 1993 Melanie Fernandez-Rey: September 1993 Aristide Maillol: August 1993 Armando and Luis Hern*ndez: July 1995 Mary Patterson: February 1995 EfrEn Montejo: May 1994 San Diego Stories Jorge, Olga, Miguel Angel, and Estela Cardozo: January 1994 Quy Nguyen: December 1987 Bennie and Jennifer Montoya: October 1995 Sophy Keng: November 1987 - June 1988 Yolanda and Carlos Munoz: March 1994 Boua Cha: 1988 - 1990 2. The New Americans: An Overview Immigration Yesterday and Today The Size and Concentration of the Second Generation Studying the New Second Generation: The Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study The New Second Generation at a Glance Census Results CILS Results 3. Not Everyone Is Chosen: Segmented Assimilation and Its Determinants How Immigrants Are Received: Modes of Incorporation and Their Consequences Acculturation and Role Reversal Where They Grow Up: Challenges to Second-Generation Adaptation Race Labor Markets Countercultures Confronting the Challenge: Immigrant Social Capital Parental Status, Family Structure, and Gender The Immigrant Community Conclusion 4. Making It in America Early Adaptation and Achievement General Trends Nationality and Achievement Determinants of Parental Economic Achievement Interaction Effects Nationality and Family Composition Conclusion 5. In Their Own Eyes: Immigrant Outlooks on America Aura Lila MarIn, Cuban, 53, Single Mother (1994) Pao Yang, Laotian Hmong, 57, Father (1995) Optimism Permissiveness Ambition Community and Pride Conclusion 6. Lost in Translation: Language and the New Second Generation Bilingualism: Yesterday and Today Shadow Boxing: Myth and Reality of Language Acculturation General Trends National Differences Forced-March Acculturation What Makes a Bilingual? A Game of Mirrors: Language Instruction and Types of Acculturation 7. Defining the Situation: The Ethnic Identities of Children of Immigrants Sites of Belonging: The Complex Allegiances of Children of Immigrants Developing a Self Past Research Who Am I? Patterns of Ethnic Self-Identification Ethnic Identity Shifts Stability and Salience Ethnic Self-Identities by National Origin Where Do I Come From? Nation, Family, and Identity Correlates of Self-Identities Family Status, Composition, and Language The Influence of Parental Self-Identities Region, Schools, and Discrimination The Race Question Determinants of Ethnic and Racial Identities Conclusion: From Translation Artists to Living Paradoxes 8. The Crucible Within: Family, Schools, and the Psychology of the Second Generation San Diego Families Family Cohesion, Conflict, and Change School Environments and Peer Groups Psychological Well-Being: Self-Esteem and Depressive Affect School Engagement and Effort Educational Expectations Determinants of Psychosocial Outcomes Self-Esteem and Depression Ambition Conclusion 9. School Achievement and Failure Early Educational Achievement Preliminary Results Determinants of Early Achievement Educational Achievement in Late Adolescence Grades in Senior High School Change over Time Dropping Out of School Two Achievement Paradoxes Southeast Asians Cuban Americans Conclusion 10. Conclusion: Mainstream Ideologies and the Long-Term Prospects of Immigrant Communities Two Mainstream Ideologies A Third Way: Selective Acculturation and Bilingualism The Mexican Case Theoretical Reprise Time and Acculturation Reactive Ethnicity and Its Aftermath Appendix A. Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study: Follow-up Questionnaire Appendix B. Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study: Parental Questionnaire Appendix C. Variables Used in Multivariate Analyses: Chapters 6 to 9 Notes References Index

The Influence of Education and Family Background on Women's Earnings in Midlife: evidence from a British national birth cohort study

Studies which have investigated the influence of education on adult earnings are almost exclusively concerned with men and take little account of family influences on either education or later earnings. Those studies which have information on women's earnings focus on gender differentials rather than differences between women in opportunities and outcomes. This paper which examines the influence of education and family background on the midlife earnings of a national cohort of British women born immediately after the Second World War is an attempt to redress this situation. It shows that the few women who were able to take full advantage of the expansion in educational opportunities and achieve high educational qualifications earned significantly more in adult life than less educated females. Family background played an important role, both through its effect on early educational achievement and attitude to school work, which in turn influenced the type of secondary school attended and the achievement of educational qualifications, and also by well‐educated mothers raising their daughter's career expectations or providing successful role models. In adult life, employment characteristics which indicated a long‐term commitment to full‐time work and the decision not to have children, or to delay childbearing, were also important predictors of later economic success in this cohort, but did not explain the prior effects of education and family background. Advanced educational qualifications were the key to economic success for women bom in the early post‐war period.