The Early Start
Research is confirming what many parents and educators understand intuitively: if you want children to become good at anything, you must begin education and training early. Sports and music enthusiasts have long understood this fact. In America during the past twenty-five years, we’ve witnessed a phenomenal increase of intense training and coaching at an early age for tennis, soccer, hockey and other sports. No one is surprised when we learn that an accomplished teen pianist has been studying piano seriously since age 8.
The underlying reality here is that the acquisition of skills and knowledge multiply - the earlier the investment, the greater the return. Often referred to as “The Matthew Effect” (from Matthew’s Gospel, the rich get richer) the idea describes, for example, that if children learn to read early, the benefits of being a competent reader multiply throughout childhood and adolescence. Children’s interest and competency in reading will continue to advance throughout childhood and adolescence. Sociologists have called this the “cumulative advantage” and it has important implications across the academic curriculum. If America wants its youth to excel in math, science, reading and writing, then meaningful efforts must begin early. By the end of elementary and middle school years, student attitudes and abilities in core subjects should be positioned for excellence in high school. There is research to suggest that if children are not competent and enthusiastic toward academics before high school, then even the best teachers find it difficult to inspire their students toward high achievement. Emphasis on a strong academic program should begin early.
But not only do students need a meaningful and substantial early start in academics, they also need an early start in developing good work habits and attitudes. Researchers like Jonathan Haidt (University of Chicago) and Martin E.P. Seligman (University of Pennsylvania) note that intrapersonal achievement skills, the personal habits that lead to academic success, like self-discipline, diligence and perseverance, can and should be developed early. Their effect also multiplies and forms the basis for teenage attitudes and achievement. A graduating middle school student who has learned how to focus, be industrious, manage time, establish goals and map out plans to reach their goals, will position himself or herself to make their high school and college experience robust, rewarding and highly productive.
By Charles Debelak
