Emotional impairment and achievement deficit in disadvantaged children--fact or myth?

This study examined the relationship between demographic and preschool social-emotional variables, on the one hand, and first grade social-emotional and intellectual achievement variables, on the other. Three hundred twenty-three children from New York City public day care centers were followed up 12 and 18 months later in elementary school. Emotional impairment in first grade was found to be a function of social class, race, and preschool emotional impairment. Two major dimensions of social-emotional functioning showed same-factor stability but not cross-factor correlation over time; one of the dimensions (Apathy-Withdrawal) predicted to first grade underachievement.