School Readiness, Status, And Immobility: Stuck at the Extremes?

• In Event: 523 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 11. School Context and Characteristics: Session II

Abstract

In this paper I explore patterns of immobility of children’s math scores to understand the extent to which school readiness at kindergarten entry matters for the reproduction of status within the intragenerational framework. My analyses suggest that, after nearly 10 years of schooling, children who are initially at the extremes (top and bottom) of the skills distribution at kindergarten entry show much greater odds of immobility over time than those towards the center of the distribution. In comparison to children from the middle three quintiles at school entry, for example, the odds of immobility among children from the bottom and top quintiles are 52% and 107% greater respectively.
I also find that the odds of being stuck at these extremes vary significantly by race, gender, and class. Black children are 216% more likely to be stuck in bottom and Asians are 506% more likely to maintain their position in the top quintile overtime, in comparison to white students. These findings suggest that ascribed characteristics may serve as advantages or disadvantages in the accumulation of human capital to a greater degree at the extremes of the skill distribution.

Author

• Ian Peacock, University of California, Los Angeles