Achievement in the first 2 years of school: patterns and processes

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Sociology of Education

Background:

• Children's adaptation to schooling in early grades has lasting effects on cognitive and affective development.
• Understanding factors influencing this adaptation is key to addressing achievement gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how home and school factors influence children's adaptation to first and second grade.
• To analyze longitudinal data on cognitive performance and achievement in a diverse sample.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of cognitive performance in Baltimore City Public Schools over grades 1 and 2.
• Analysis of report-card marks and California Achievement Test (CAT) scores.
• Examination of social-structural and social-psychological factors, including race and socioeconomic background.

Main Results:

• The first year of schooling showed more social-structural and social-psychological influences on cognitive gains (CAT) than the second year.
• Black students started with similar CAT averages but lagged behind White students by the end of the first year, with the gap widening in the second year.
• Black students received lower report-card marks and experienced more persistent difficulties, indicating a more problematic school transition compared to White students.

Conclusions:

• The first year of schooling is critical for shaping academic trajectories and understanding racial achievement differences.
• Social-psychological factors, like parental influence on self-expectations, differ significantly by race, impacting early academic patterns.
• Addressing the challenges Black students face during the transition to school is essential for promoting equitable development and achievement.