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 Misbehaving in school has long been linked to lower levels of
academic achievement and income in adulthood, researchers note in
JAMA Pediatrics. But the current study offers a unique snapshot of
this connection by examining behavior assessments done by
kindergarten teachers and then looking at students' earning on tax
returns three decades later.
"Kindergarten teacher assessments are good predictors of problems
which accumulate over time - behavior problems with peers and
adults, school failure, delinquent behavior, substance abuse, etc. -
and lead to poor job market integration," said senior study author
Sylvana Cote, a public health researcher at the University of
Montreal.
The 920 boys who completed the study earned an average of about
US$28,866 a year by the time they were in their mid-30s, with annual
income ranging from zero to $142,268.
Rising levels of inattention in kindergarten assessments were
associated with $1,295 less in annual income, the study also found.
Over 40-year career, the financial effect could amount to about
$70,533.
Teacher ratings of hyperactivity, opposition, and aggression didn't
appear to influence earnings later in life.
"Pro-social" behaviors like paying attention and interacting well
with classmates, however, were linked with an average increase of
$406 in annual earnings.
These results suggest that school-based programs designed to help
students improve behavior when they're young may have lifelong
economic benefits, Cote said by email.
"If the school provides adequate support to these children from
kindergarten onwards, they will succeed in school and have less
problems with substance use and delinquent behavior," Cote said.
All of the boys in the study were from low-income neighborhoods in
Montreal, and researchers controlled for several factors that might
independently impact future earnings including parents' income and
education levels, family structure and neighborhood poverty levels.
However, it's not clear whether results would be similar for
students growing up in more affluent neighborhoods or for girls.
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The study also wasn't a controlled experiment designed to prove
whether or how teachers' assessments of behavior might influence
adult income.
Teachers may also be biased in their assessments of behavior, said
Dr. Caroline Kistin, a pediatrics researcher at Boston University
School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center who wasn't involved in
the study.
"Prior research has demonstrated significant differences in how
teachers rate child behavior based on child race, gender, and
socioeconomic status," Kistin said by email. "There are also known
disparities in how students are treated in school, including who
gets placed in separate special education tracks, who is required to
repeat a year of school, and who gets suspended."
Disparities in how students of color are treated in school can also
start before kids even reach kindergarten, particularly for black
males, Kistin said.
"Parents, teachers, and medical providers should work together to
improve communication around child development and social skills,
with a focus on early, supportive interventions when there are
concerns," Kistin advised.
To succeed in school and later in life, students need support that
goes beyond the classroom.
"Communities should invest in evidence-based preventive services
that have been shown to improve outcomes for low-income children and
families, including access to food resources, affordable housing,
and high-quality, affordable childcare," Kistin added.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2E3wlB7 JAMA Pediatrics, online February 11,
2019.
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