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It's been known for years that the oldest children in class perform better in school than their youngest classmates. But according to a new study co-authored by University of Toronto Scarborough economist Elizabeth Dhuey, that gap can persist, with older children more likely to attend post-secondary school and graduate from an elite university.
"Older children, in this case those born in early September, do better in elementary school than their younger peers," says Dhuey, whose past research has explored this phenomenon.
"What we found in this study is that gap persists throughout their school careers, so they end up being more likely to attend a post-secondary school and graduate from an elite university."
The study, by Dhuey, an associate professor of economics, and a team of three economists from U.S.-based universities, was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. It followed differences between Florida children born just before and after the Sept. 1 cut-off date to start kindergarten. (In Ontario, the cut-off date to start kindergarten is Jan. 1.)
precocious kids need not apply
Source: https://phys.org/news/2017-09-oldest-kids-class-university.html
Reference: Elizabeth Dhuey et al. School Starting Age and Cognitive Development, (2017). DOI: 10.3386/w23660[PDF]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 11 2017, @10:43PM (3 children)
The real question is whether this is the result of being the oldest in the class, or being more ready to learn, or being born in the fall. We need a comparison of entire schools that start kids at older and younger ages, to see which works better. Another interesting study would be to start school at the end of February, so that the kids born in February are the oldest in the classes. Does the advantage shift to the February kids?
A year is a long time when you are five years old. Schools should be structured so that kids can start in any quarter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 11 2017, @11:09PM
Rather, being more ready to rote memorize information and spew it back on tests and homework assignments. Almost no comprehension necessary. School systems around the world (including the US, of course) are a disaster and are often much better at producing drones than truly educating anyone beyond the most basic level. This type of 'education' barely qualifies as education but is a lot easier to do on a massive scale, which is most likely why it's used.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 12 2017, @01:33AM (1 child)
I don't buy it. I know two siblings who were born on the same day (several years apart) and one eventually graduated college while the other, sadly, had a horrible time with school and eventually committed suicide. There are far too many non-school variables to consider.
(Score: 3, Funny) by frojack on Tuesday September 12 2017, @02:40AM
Seriously, you point out TWO kids to dismiss a state wide study?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.