HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Elder, T. E. Articles by Lubotsky, D. H. Search for Related Content

Kindergarten Entrance Age and Children’s Achievement

Impacts of State Policies, Family Background, and Peers

	Abstract

TOP Abstract References

 
We present evidence that the positive relationship between kindergarten entrance age and school achievement primarily reflects skill accumulation prior to kindergarten, rather than a heightened ability to learn in school among older children. The association between achievement test scores and entrance age appears during the first months of kindergarten, declines sharply in subsequent years, and is especially pronounced among children from upper-income families, a group likely to have accumulated the most skills prior to school entry. Finally, having older classmates boosts a child’s test scores but increases the probability of grade repetition and diagnoses of learning disabilities such as ADHD.

	References

TOP Abstract References

 

Altonji, Joseph G., Todd E. Elder, and Christopher R. Taber 2005. "Selection on Observed and Unobserved Variables: Assessing the Effectiveness of Catholic Schools." Journal of Political Economy 113(1):151–84.

Angrist, Joshua D., and Guido W. Imbens 1995. "Two-Stage Least Squares Estimation of Average Causal Effects in Models with Variable Treatment Intensity." Journal of the American Statistical Association 90(430):431–42.

Angrist, Joshua D., and Alan B. Krueger 1991. "Does Compulsory School Attendance Affect Schooling and Earnings?" Quarterly Journal of Economics 106(4):979–1014.

Angrist, Joshua D., and Alan B. Krueger 1992. "The Effect of Age at School Entry on Educational Attainment: An Application of Instrumental Variables with Moments from Two Samples." Journal of the American Statistical Association 87(418):328–36.

Bedard, Kelly, and Elizabeth Dhuey. 2006. "The Persistence of Early Maturity: International Evidence of Long-Run Age Effects." Quarterly Journal of Economics 121(4):1437–72.

Bigelow, Elizabeth B. 1934. "School Progress of Under-Age Children." The Elementary School Journal 35(3):186–92.

Bound, John, and David A. Jaeger 2000. "Do Compulsory Attendance laws Alone Explain the Association between Earnings and Quarter of Birth?" Research in Labor Economics 19:83–108.

Carneiro, Pedro, and James J. Heckman 2003. "Human Capital Policy." In Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies? ed. James J. Heckman and Alan B. Krueger Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Cascio, Elizabeth U., and Ethan B. Lewis 2006. "Schooling and the AFQT: Evidence from School Entry Laws." Journal of Human Resources 41(2):294–318.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

de Cos, Patricia L. 1997. "Readiness For Kindergarten: What Does It Mean? A Review of Literature in Response to a Request by Assembly Member Kerry Mazzoni." California Research Bureau, California State Library, CRB-97-014, December.

Currie, Janet, and Mark Stabile. 2006 "Child Mental Health and Human Capital Accumulation: the Case of ADHD." Journal of Health Economics 25:1094–1118.[Medline]

Datar, Ashlesha. 2006. "Does Delaying Kindergarten Entrance Give Children a Head Start?" Economics of Education Review 25(1):43–62.

Dobkin, Carlos, and Fernando Ferreira. 2006. "Do School Entry Laws Affect Educational Attainment and Labor Market Outcomes?" Working paper, University of California at Santa Cruz.

Duncan, Greg J., and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. 1997. "Income Effects Across the Life Span: Integration and Interpretation," in Consequences of Growing Up Poor , ed. Greg J. Duncan and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, 596–610. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Imbens, Guido W., and Joshua D. Angrist 1994. "Identification and Estimation of Local Average Treatment Effects." Econometrica 62(2):467–75.

Fertig, Michael, and Jochen Kluve. 2005. "The Effect of Age at School Entry on Educational Attainment in Germany," IZA Discussion Paper No. 1507.

Fredriksson, Peter, and Bjorn Öckert. 2005. "Is Early Learning Really More Productive? The Effect of School Starting Age on School and Labour Market Performance." IZA Discussion Paper No. 1659.

Fryer, Roland G., and Steven D. Levitt 2004. "Understanding the Black-White Test Score Gap in the First Two Years of School." Review of Economics and Statistics 86(2): 447–64.

Goodman, Robert, Julia Gledhill, and Tamsin Ford. 2003. "Child Psychiatric Disorder and Relative Age within School Year: Cross Sectional Survey of Large Population Sample." British Medical Journal 327:472–75.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Gormley, William T., and Ted Gayer. 2005. "Promoting School Readiness in Oklahoma: An Evaluation of Tulsa’s Pre-K Program." The Journal of Human Resources 40(3):533–58.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Hahn, Jinyong, Petra Todd, and Wilbert van der Klaauw. 2001. "Identification and Estimation of Treatment Effects with a Regression-Discontinuity Design." Econometrica 69(1):201–209.

Lazear, Edward P. 2001. "Educational Production." Quarterly Journal of Economics 116(3):777–803.

Leuven, Edwin, Mikael Lindahl, Hessel Oosterbeek, and Dinand Webbink. 2004. "New Evidence on the Effect of Time in School on Early Achievement." HEW 0410001, Economics Working Paper Archive at WUSTL.

Lincove, Jane A., and Gary Painter. 2006. "Does the Age that Children Start Kindergarten Matter? Evidence of Long-Term Educational and Social Outcomes." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 28(2):153–79.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Lubotsky, Darren H. 2001. "Family Resources, Behavior, and Children’s Cognitive Development." Working paper, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mayer, Susan. 1997. What Money Can’t Buy: Family Income and Children’s Life Chances . Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Mayer, Susan, and David Knutson. 1999. "Does the Timing of School Affect How Much Children Learn?" In Earning and Learning: How Schools Matter , ed. Susan Mayer and Paul Peterson, 79–104. Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.

McCrary, Justin, and Heather Royer. 2006. "The Effect of Maternal Education on Fertility and Infant Health: Evidence from School Entry Policies Using Exact Date of Birth." University of Michigan. Unpublished.

McEwan, Patrick J., and Joseph S. Shapiro 2008. "The Benefits of Delayed Primary School Enrollment: Discontinuity Estimates Using Exact Birth Dates." Journal of Human Resources 43(1):1–29.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Mick, Eric, Joseph Biederman, and Stephen Faraone. 1996. "Is Season of Birth a Risk Factor for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?" Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 35(11):1470–1476.[Medline]

Michael, Robert T. 2003. "Children’s Cognitive Skill Development in Britain and the United States." International Journal of Behavioral Development 27(5):396–408.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Puhani, Patrick A., and Andrea M. Weber 2005. "Does the Early Bird Catch the Worm? Instrumental Variable Estimates of Educational Effects of Age of School Entry in Germany." IZA Discussion Paper No. 1827

Stipek, Deborah. 2002. "At What Age Should Children Enter Kindergarten? A Question for Policy Makers and Parents." Social Policy Report: Giving Child and Youth Development Knowledge Away 16(2).

Strøm, Bjarne. 2004. "Student Achievement and Birthday Effects." Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Unpublished.

Todd, Petra E., and Kenneth I. Wolpin 2006. "The Production of Cognitive Achievement in Children: Home, School, and Racial Test Score Gaps." University of Pennsylvania. Unpublished.

Van der Klaauw, Wilbert. 2002. "Estimating the Effect of Financial Aid Offers on College Enrollment: A Regression-Discontinuity Approach." International Economic Review, 43(4):1249–87.

Weil, Elizabeth. 2007. "When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten?" New York Times Magazine, June 3.

This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Elder, T. E. Articles by Lubotsky, D. H. Search for Related Content