Behind these disparities in school-related
performance lie dramatic differences in children’s
early experiences and access to good programs
and schools. Often there is also a mismatch
between the “school” culture and children’s cultural
backgrounds.10 A prime difference in children’s
early experience is in their exposure to
language, which is fundamental in literacy development
and indeed in all areas of thinking and
learning. On average, children growing up in lowincome
families have dramatically less rich experience
with language in their homes than do middleclass
children:11 They hear far fewer words and are
engaged in fewer extended conversations. By 36
months of age, substantial socioeconomic disparities
already exist in vocabulary knowledge,12 to
name one area.