that differentiates children from low-income circumstances and their more
affluent peers, this instruction presumably helps children catch up by teaching
about the alphabet and letter sounds and the conventions of print that distinguish
print from other representational symbol systems, such as drawing. By
attending, reciting, chanting, and reviewing these letters, sounds, and numbers—
again and again—this type of instruction supposedly will help these
children from low-income homes overcome the devastating effects of poverty
on their long-term learning and development. With these key skills in hand,
they will be ready to learn alongside their counterparts from more affluent
circumstances as they enter the kindergarten doors.