Social class determines kindergarteners’ skills
It has been found that social class influences literacy and math skills among kindergarteners.
“We knew economic circumstances have an impact on early child development, but it was surprising just how big the reading and math ability gaps really are between children in different socioeconomic status groups by kindergarten entry,” said lead author Kandyce Larson of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
Larson and her colleagues studied math and reading test scores for more than 6,000 U.S. kids entering kindergarten in 2006 or 2007.
The researchers used the kids’ household income, parental occupation and education to divide them into five socioeconomic groups.
Kids in the lowest socioeconomic group scored in an average 34th percentile on the reading test, compared to an average 67th percentile for kids in the highest socioeconomic group, according to results in Pediatrics.
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