RESUMO
The Black-White achievement gap in children's reading and mathematics school performance from 4½ years of age through fifth grade was examined in a sample of 314 lower income American youth followed from birth. Differences in family, child care, and schooling experiences largely explained Black-White differences in achievement, and instructional quality was a stronger predictor for Black than White children. In addition, the achievement gap was detected as young as 3 years of age. Taken together, the findings suggest that reducing the Black-White achievement gap may require early intervention to reduce race gaps in home and school experiences during the infant and toddler years as well as during the preschool and school years.
Assuntos
População Negra/educação , População Negra/psicologia , Cuidado da Criança , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Escolaridade , National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.) , Pobreza/psicologia , População Branca/educação , População Branca/psicologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Intervenção Educacional Precoce , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Matemática , Leitura , Fatores de Risco , Meio Social , Estatística como Assunto , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Higher quality child care during infancy and early childhood (6-54 months of age) was examined as a moderator of associations between family economic status and children's (N = 1,364) math and reading achievement in middle childhood (4.5-11 years of age). Low income was less strongly predictive of underachievement for children who had been in higher quality care than for those who had not. Consistent with a cognitive advantage hypothesis, higher quality care appeared to promote achievement indirectly via early school readiness skills. Family characteristics associated with selection into child care also appeared to promote the achievement of low-income children, but the moderating effect of higher quality care per se remained evident when controlling for selection using covariates and propensity scores.
Assuntos
Logro , Cuidado da Criança/psicologia , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Matemática , Leitura , Fatores Etários , Criança , Cuidado da Criança/normas , Pré-Escolar , Escolaridade , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Entrevistas como Assunto , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde , Meio Social , Fatores SocioeconômicosRESUMO
Within-child associations between family income and child externalizing and internalizing problems were examined using longitudinal data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (2004a, 2004b; N=1,132). Variations in income effects were estimated as a function of whether families were poor, whether mothers were partnered, and the number of hours mothers and their partners were employed. On average, children had fewer externalizing problems during times when their families' incomes were relatively high than during times when their families' incomes were relatively low; the estimated benefits of increased income were greatest for children who were chronically poor. For both externalizing and internalizing problems, income was most strongly associated with problems when chronically poor children's mothers were partnered and employed.
