Greg J. Duncan

In Whither Opportunity?, a team of economists, sociologists, and experts in social and education policy examines the corrosive effects of unequal family resources, disadvantaged neighborhoods, insecure labor markets, and worsening school conditions on K-12 education. This groundbreaking book illuminates the ways rising inequality is undermining the ability of schools to provide children with an equal chance at academic and economic success. Whither Opportunity? shows that from earliest childhood, parental investments in children s learning affect reading, math, and other attainments later in life. Contributor Meredith Phillip finds that between birth and age six, wealthier children spend significantly more time than poor children on child enrichment activities such as music lessons, travel, and summer camp. Greg Duncan, George Farkas, and Katherine Magnuson demonstrate that a child from a poor family is two to four times as likely as a child from an affluent family to have classmates with low skills and behavior problems. As a result of such disparities, contributor Sean Reardon finds that the gap between rich and poor children s achievement scores is now much larger than it was 50 years ago. Such income-based gaps persist across the school years, as Martha Bailey and Sue Dynarski document in their chapter on the growing income-based gap in college completion. Whither Opportunity? also reveals the profound impact of environmental factors on children s educational progress. Elizabeth Ananat, Anna Gassman-Pines, and Christina Gibson-Davis show that local job losses such as those caused by plant closings can lower the test scores of students with low socioeconomic status, even students whose parents have not lost their jobs. And David Kirk and Robert Sampson show that teacher commitment, parental involvement, and student achievement in schools in high-crime neighborhoods all tend to be low.

"As America takes stock of the successes and shortcomings of the Clinton era welfare reforms, the authors convincingly demonstrate why New Hope could be a model for state and national policies to assist the working poor. Evidence based and insightfully written, Higher Ground illuminates how policymakers can make work pay for families struggling to escape poverty."--BOOK JACKET.

One in five American children now live in families with incomes below the poverty line, and their prospects are not bright. Low income is linked with a variety of poor outcomes for children, from low birth weight and poor nutrition in infancy to increased chances of academic failure, emotional distress, and unwed childbirth in adolescence. Consequences of Growing Up Poor is an illuminating examination of the way economic deprivation damages children at all stages of their development. In Consequences of Growing Up Poor, developmental psychologists, economists, and sociologists address specific questions about how low income puts children at risk intellectually, emotionally. and physically. They demonstrate that although income clearly creates disadvantages, it does so selectively and in a wide variety of ways. Based on their findings, the editors and contributors recommend more sharply focused child welfare policies targeted at specific eras and conditions of poor children's lives. They also weigh the relative need for income supplements, child care subsidies, and home interventions.

"In this landmark volume, Greg J. Duncan and Richard J. Murnane lay out a meticulously researched case showing how-in a time of spiraling inequality-strategically targeted interventions and supports can help schools significantly improve the life chances of low-income children. A crowning contribution from these two leading economists in the field of education and a passionate call to action on behalf of the young people on whom our nation's future depends."--P. 4 of cover