Kindergarten: Math Skills Prove Key To Later Academic Success
Even after accounting for differences in IQ and family income, Duncan found that those who learned the most math in kindergarten tended to have the highest math and reading scores years later.
"It was very surprising," said Duncan, whose research appears in a new book. "Everyone says reading is most important, and if a child can read by third grade, the chance of dropping out of school is so much lower. But it was math that stood out as serving the kids best in promoting later achievement. Reading was next most important, and then attention skills were third most important."
Social skills, including the ability to self-regulate and control one's temper, also are important. But Duncan found that they weren't as closely linked to future academic success as math and reading. Students who exhibit antisocial behavior through elementary and middle school tend to drop out of high school at higher rates, Duncan found, but again, those with persistently low math scores also dropped out at higher rates.
Duncan said kindergartners are ready for a variety of math concepts that can be taught in fun and playful ways.
"I'm not implying that there needs to be flashcards and drill-and-kill exercises," Duncan said. He suggests teachers use math lessons that let kids explore and manipulate numbers. For parents, he recommends they point out shapes to their kids and play cards and board games to help them get comfortable with counting.
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