A Study of Differential Pre-K Readiness Across Racial/Socioeconomic Lines in Evanston/Skokie School District 65

Abstract

Ackerman and Barnett (2005) suggest that "future academic success is dependent on being ready to learn and participate in a successful kindergarten experience" (p. 1). More importantly, a quality preschool experience has the potential to reduce gaps in achievement and the reproduction of socioeconomic inequalities that persist among disadvantaged families (Crosnoe, Purtell, Davis-Kean, Ansari, & Benner, 2016). Research has also indicated that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at a disadvantage, as they begin school with fewer academic skills and greater gaps in cognitive and academic competencies than their more advantaged peers (Stipek & Ryan, 1997). According to Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, and Waldfogel (2004), "differences in children's childhood experiences play a formative role in shaping school readiness and largely explain the skill gaps at school entry" (2004, p. 117).