Closing The Achievement Gap With Baby Talk

Alix Spiegel

Correspondent, Science Desk

 

In the mid-1960s, Betty Hart was a graduate student in child development working at a preschool in Kansas City, Kan. The preschool was for poor kids — really poor kids. Many came from troubled housing projects nearby.

But Hart was determined not to see their limitations, only their potential: Hart's job was to teach these underprivileged kids how to speak like the children of her professors at the University of Kansas.

For years, she and university professor Todd Risley worked tirelessly toward this goal, doing everything they could think of to expand the vocabularies of these 4-year-olds. The idea was that if the kids could speak with the fluency of their wealthier peers across town, they might go on to similar academic achievements.

But success was elusive. "We tried everything," Hart says. "Everything we could. ... We couldn't do it."

The problem, they realized, was that they weren't getting to the kids early enough. Which led to this question: If age 4 was too late, when was early enough?

21 Ways to Feel Good about Yourself

 

© Rick Hanson, PhD, 2008

www.RickHanson.net
 
1. Do the right thing. The bliss of blamelessness. Practice the virtues that are the foundation of any psychological growth or spiritual practice.

2. Tend to the causes of accomplishment; do the things that will legitimately earn you success. All you can do is feed the fruit tree; you can’t make it give you an apple. Take initiative, be "ardent, diligent, resolute, and mindful," and be at peace with whatever happens. As Meher Baba said: "Don’t worry. Be happy. Make efforts."

Your Fat Is Why You're Not As Bright As You Could Be

Scientists have discovered that a chemical produced by fat goes into your brain and makes it slower. But don't worry: there's an easy fix. Just guess what it is.

Create a loving, positive and safe environment at home

If there is one thing on which all parents can agree it is—they want their kids to be happy. While you cannot control the happiness of your kids, you can increase your chances of raising happy children by creating a loving, positive and safe environment at home. With that in mind, we have rounded up 8 tips to consider.

Teaching "Diversity": A Place to Begin

We all want children to grow up in a world free from bias and discrimination, to reach for their dreams and feel that whatever they want to accomplish in life is possible. We want them to feel loved and included and never to experience the pain of rejection or exclusion. But the reality is that we do live in a world in which racism and other forms of bias continue to affect us. Discrimination hurts and leaves scars that can last a lifetime, affecting goals, ambitions, life choices, and feelings of self-worth.

Coping with Grief and Loss Understanding the Grieving Process

Losing someone or something you love or care deeply about is very painful. You may experience all kinds of difficult emotions and it may feel like the pain and sadness you're experiencing will never let up. These are normal reactions to a significant loss. But while there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are healthy ways to cope with the pain that, in time, can renew you and permit you to move on.

The Most Awkward Playdate Situations Solved

Our kids' friendships is one of the great challenges of parenthood and as a mom to an almost six-year-old and a three-and-a-half-year-old, I'm just getting started. We're still in the "playdate" phase, where, for the most part, the parents stick around with the kids.

Families and the "Polar Vortex"

Possible Sensory Processing & Regulatory Differences

Preschools

Parents, this is a Yellow Pages list of preschools and inadequate. Please add your recommendation in the comment box below.

Common High-Risk Choking Foods for Toddlers

Fathering

Car Safety for Young Children