Increasing evidence suggests that aspects of children’s learning-related social
skills (including interpersonal skills and work-related skills) contribute to early
school performance. The present investigation examined the association of
work-related skills to academic outcomes at the beginning of kindergarten and at
the end of second grade as well as characteristics of children with low workrelated
skills. Children were selected from a sample of 540 children based on low
work-related skills scores on the Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scales, a
teacher-rated scale. Results indicated that work-related skills predicted unique
variance in academic outcomes at school entry and at the end of second grade,
after controlling for kindergarten academic score and important background
variables. In addition, children with poor work-related skills (n 5 82) were found
to differ from the overall sample on a number of child, family, and sociocultural
variables including: significantly lower IQs, more behavior difficulties, and more
medical problems, such as hearing and language problems. Finally, children with
low work-related skills scored lower on academic outcomes at the beginning of
kindergarten and at the end of second grade. Findings highlight the importance
of early work-related skills in understanding successful school transition and
early academic achievement.