The early education of socioeconomically disadvantaged children.
This chapter reviews selected research on the education of low-socioeconomic status (SES) children from birth through the first years of elementary school. Themes include the importance of early academic skills and interest to later achievement; the benefits of integrating knowledge from research on mental health and other areas; the need to utilize and build children's strengths as well as address their weaknesses; and a call to connect research to practice and policy. Relevant research on race and culture is reviewed because ethnic minority low-SES children are at great risk of poverty. Gender is discussed because low-SES boys have poorer general achievement than girls, while very few low-SES girls pursue careers in math- and science-related fields.
Psychology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA. darnold@psych.umass.edu
David H
DH
Arnold
Greta L
GL
Doctoroff
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012951:Socialization