Reconsidering SES and gender divides in literacy achievement: are the gaps across social class and gender necessary?

Abstract

This study evaluated factors within families that enhance kindergarten reading readiness of children and are also linked to maternal education (a common proxy for SES). We were interested in identifying factors that would be more accessible to families and school administrators as sources of potential change than broad and un-malleable reflections of socio-economic status. Consistent with current research, we found that maternal education had a broad impact on the reading readiness of children. Maternal education was linked to the amount of time children spent with non-literary media (television, computers, videos, video games). Re-running analyses using time with media as a covariate resulted in reduced differences in reading outcomes of children as a function of maternal education. Effects of maternal education were reduced by the end of the kindergarten year, indicating that literacy programming implemented by the school was successful in closing this academic gap.