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| In
Brief: Low-Income Preschoolers Benefit From Mixed-Income Classrooms
Researchers from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut, examined how the language skills of low-income children are impacted by interaction with mid- and upper-income peers. Language development in preschool is one of the key predictors of later school success. Research has shown that children from low-income families typically enter kindergarten with less developed language skills than their more economically privileged peers. When preschoolers were tested on language skills in the fall, low-income children scored significantly lower than their mid- and upper-income peers. When the test was given again six months later, the low-income children in mixed-income preschools made significantly larger gains than the children in schools with only low-income children. The gains made by low-income children in mixed-income preschools were also greater than those made by their mid- and upper-income peers. This study suggests that low-income preschool children make more progress in their language skills when they are integrated into classrooms with mid- and upper-income peers than when they are in classrooms with only other low-income children. However, state and federally funded early childhood education programs generally serve only low-income children while children from mid- and upper-income families attend private programs. There have been few efforts to create economically integrated preschools. The findings from this study suggest that economically integrated preschools are an effective way to shrink the achievement gap between low-income students and their mid- and upper-income peers. Source:
For
more information: Facts in Action, January/February 2003 |
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