A recent study in the journal Child Development suggests a link between students living in poverty and poor planning skills that extends into several academic areas, including math and reading. Using scores from a strategic puzzle-based task that requires advance planning and tactical moves, researchers found that scores on the planning task in Grade 3 predicted children’s reading and math outcomes at Grade 5, even while controlling for IQ.

Study authors Crook and Evans from Cornell University cite previous research that documents the lack of development of early planning skills among children living in poverty. Possible causes of poorer planning can be identified: greater chaos in their daily lives including more family moves and school changes, greater family turmoil and turnover, more crowded and noisy households, higher levels of stress among low-income parents, and fewer structured routines and rituals.

Classroom teachers can do little to ameliorate all the stressors facing children coming from low-income households. However, these findings may provide encouragement for teachers to include more strategy-based, planning-based activities within the classroom.

You can access a PDF of the full study, The Role of Planning Skills in the Income-Achievement Gap, here .

About the Author

Joanne Meier has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education, including serving on the faculty at the University of Virginia for six years where she trained reading specialists and future classroom teachers. Dr. Meier was Reading Rockets’ research-to-practice consultant from 2002 to 2014, where she wrote the Page by Page blog — sharing best practices in supporting young readers at home and in the classroom.

Publication Date
July 8, 2013

Related Topics

Activities, Reading and the Brain, Early Literacy Development, Struggling Readers
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