Often, we answer this question by thinking about the skills children come to school with. But what if schools have simply been designed to serve some students better than others? In this project, we’ll do a deep-dive into early education literature, and think through how this relates to structural inequity and children’s early language experiences. This would be an awesome review paper for a student journal.

Why do some children do better in school than others?

Some parents have more resources than other parents, whether this is a steady bank account, access to high-quality schools for their children, a social strong support system, or a safe neighborhood. This inequality has been made apparent and exacerbated in the pandemic. How do these factors affect parents’ interactions with their children? How are both parents and children affected by their external worlds? A project like this could involve talking to parents, doing a review of the literature, and/or writing a paper for a student journal.