ERIC Number: EJ1403814
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
EISSN: EISSN-1467-8624
Environmental Inequality and Disparities in School Readiness: The Role of Neurotoxic Lead
Child Development, v94 n6 e308-e327 2023
Developmental science has increasingly scrutinized how environmental hazards influence child outcomes, but few studies examine how contaminants affect disparities in early skill formation. Linking research on environmental inequality and early childhood development, this study assessed whether differences in exposure to neurotoxic lead explain sociodemographic gaps in school readiness. Using panel data tracking a representative sample of 1266 Chicago children (50% female, 16% White, 30% Black, 49% Hispanic, [mu][subscript age] = 5.2 months at baseline, collected 1994-2002), analyses quantified the contribution of lead contamination to class and racial disparities in vocabulary skills and attention problems at ages 4 and 5. Results suggested that lead contamination explains 15%-25% and 33%-66% of the disparities in each outcome, respectively, although imprecise estimates preclude drawing firm inferences about attention problems.
Descriptors: Physical Environment, School Readiness, Poisoning, Hazardous Materials, Child Development, Racial Differences, Social Differences, Vocabulary Development, Attention Control, Young Children
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois (Chicago)
Grant or Contract Numbers: 2015613