Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

“Do science gaps, much like literacy gaps, emerge before students even begin kindergarten? New research suggests that this might be the case. Specifically, the research finds that many minority and low-income children enter kindergarten with a relatively low level of general knowledge of the world around them. That lack of general knowledge appears to persist into first grade and turn into a science achievement gap by the time students are formally assessed in science in the third grade. And once those science achievement gaps appear in third grade they appear to be fairly stable through the eighth grade.”

“New Study: Science Achievement Gaps Begin Early and Linger,” by Aaron Loewenberg, program associate New America’s Early & Elementary Education Policy program, EdCentral Blog, March 14, 2016