| David Burkam
University of Michigan
Social class instability and children's early academic growth
FINAL REPORT:
A vast body of literature documents the associations between socio-economic status [SES] and cognitive development. Unfortunately, most of these extant studies generally treat childrenŐs familial contexts as unchanging over time. Other research recognizes and explores the fluid nature of family composition and economic well-being, but frequently fails to examine how familial instability influences childrenŐs academic performance. Using a sample of over 14,000 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort [ECLS-K], our study draws upon these seemingly disparate bodies of research, recognizing that childrenŐs cognitive growth and family contexts are not as stable as characterized in much of the current literature. Our findings indicate that both initial family SES and changes in family SES affect early cognitive development in reading and mathematics. The effect of these of these fluctuations, however, varies by race and other family characteristics.
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