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Early Interventions for the Achievement Gap: The Importance of Family in Early Learning
Publication Date: April 2008
Publisher(s): National Urban League. Policy Institute
Author(s): Renee R. Hanson; Valerie Rawlston Wilson
Funder(s): Ford Foundation; William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Funder(s): Ford Foundation; William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Special Collection: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Topic: Education (Education policy and planning)
Education (Curriculum)
Keywords: Racial disparities; Parental involvement in learning; Early learning outcomes
Type: Report
Coverage: United States
Abstract:
This report examines the role of family background and parental involvement in determining early learning outcomes of children in kindergarten and reveals that students who attended more structured preschool settings, like Head Start or other center-based programs, performed better on early reading and math tests.
The study also suggests that to a large extent, a child's language and literacy development are shaped within the home as opposed to in a formal school setting and are strongly influenced by the parent's level of education and the number of siblings in the household. Finally, this report shows that among children who attended Head Start before entering kindergarten, those whose parents did not read to them at all scored significantly lower on reading tests than students whose parents did read to them.