{"id":2540,"date":"2015-11-03T13:45:02","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T18:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ssn\/?p=2540"},"modified":"2015-11-04T10:22:46","modified_gmt":"2015-11-04T15:22:46","slug":"school-readiness-and-equal-opportunity-start-at-birth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ssn\/2015\/11\/03\/school-readiness-and-equal-opportunity-start-at-birth\/","title":{"rendered":"School Readiness and Equal Opportunity Start at Birth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Clemens v. Vogelsang, Flickr CC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Economic inequality is growing in America and economic mobility is declining. Most observers agree these are worrisome trends, but there is no consensus about solutions. In highly polarized public debates, some say that the government\u2019s role should be limited to ensuring equal <\/span>opportunity.<\/span><\/i> Others emphasize the need for policies to encourage more <\/span>equality. <\/span><\/i>We believe that these extremes present a false dichotomy; a middle ground is possible. By looking for ways to further \u201cschool readiness,\u201d citizens and policymakers can come together in support of giving all children what they need to take advantage of opportunities to learn and prepare for success in later life. <\/span><\/p>\n

To Reduce Future Economic Inequality, Ensure That Children Succeed in School<\/b><\/h3>\n

Policy leaders from both sides of the aisle should be able to agree that can young children need to gain the basic attitudes, skills and knowledge required to succeed in school. Children will not enter the labor market on equal terms if stark inequalities begin to hold them back even before age five. Many children who are not ready for school cannot realize their potential \u2013 and that makes no economic sense for our country. Failure at school leads to losses of income and tax revenues as well as higher costs for social services, policing, and incarceration. Put another way, differences in school readiness influence kids\u2019 capacities to take advantage of opportunities \u2013 and contribute to society \u2013 over the course of their whole lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>Can we address educational disparities simply by make schools themselves more equal? If all schools had the same financial resources and the same number of teachers for every 100 students, and if all teachers were well-compensated and well-motivated and trained, would students from all groups have the same chance to perform well? The answer is no, according to available research. Even school systems of comparable quality cannot produce fair results when some children arrive at the first day of class unprepared to learn. To be ready to learn, youngsters must already have certain language, motor and social skills, and they must be able to pay attention, follow directions, and control their emotions. A lot must happen before the first day of kindergarten.If all schools had the same resources and the same number of teachers, and if all teachers were well-compensated and well-motivated and trained, would students from all groups have the same chance to perform well? The answer is no.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Influences on School Readiness<\/b><\/h3>\n

Researchers find that poorer children, on the whole, exhibit less school readiness than their peers from higher-income families. The effects of poverty are striking. Children of professional parents develop language skills rapidly starting around 18 months. But at that same age language development slows for children of low-income parents. By age four, the knowledge and word skills of the low-income children have fallen far behind those of high-income children. <\/span><\/p>\n

Money, time with children, and levels of stress all help to explain such gaps. High-income parents tend to be better educated and expose their children to some 30 million more words than children from low-income families. In his recent book, <\/span>Our Kids<\/span><\/i>, political scientist Robert Putnam shows that higher-income parents not only pay for educationally enriching experiences prior to kindergarten; they also spend time more with children and share more meals with them. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>Privileged families also tend to experience less stress. Researchers from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child have shown that \u201ctoxic\u201d levels of stress in children\u2019s home environments can impair neurological development. Put simply, if children must deal with immediate fears about going hungry or avoiding violence in their homes or neighborhood, their ability to learn will suffer. Poor children must often cope with such fears.<\/span>If children must deal with immediate fears about going hungry or avoiding violence outside of school, their ability to learn will suffer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Legal scholar Martha Fineman frames these differences in terms of resilience. Both family assets and levels of stress influence personal resilience \u2013 capacities for seizing life\u2019s opportunities or dealing with setbacks. People with greater resilience are better able to use opportunities. Any educational system that offers equal opportunities without at the same time ensuring that all children are ready to take advantage of those opportunities will end up boosting those who are already most advantaged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Giving Every Child the Capacity to Take Advantage of Opportunities<\/b><\/h3>\n

Because almost all Americans favor equal educational opportunity, citizens and policymakers might be able to agree on steps to promote universal school readiness \u2013 shifting debates about reforms away from highly divisive issues such as the role of teachers\u2019 unions. There are a number of proven ways for cities and states to invest in school readiness:<\/span><\/p>\n