Noncognitive skills gaps by socioeconomic status quintile, as compared with the bottom quintile
| Category | Second quintile | Middle quintile | Fourth quintile | Top quintile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-control | 0.071 | 0.158 | 0.282 | 0.307 |
| Approaches to learning | 0.131 | 0.227 | 0.429 | 0.505 |
| Social interactions | 0.162 | 0.183 | 0.176 | 0.184 |
| Attentional focus | 0.111 | 0.255 | 0.440 | 0.532 |
| Teacher closeness | 0.040 | 0.112 | 0.183 | 0.221 |
| Follows class rules | 0.066 | 0.133 | 0.306 | 0.370 |
| Eagerness to learn | 0.091 | 0.187 | 0.354 | 0.405 |
| Pays attention well | 0.103 | 0.184 | 0.358 | 0.437 |
| Persists in completing tasks | 0.116 | 0.177 | 0.345 | 0.422 |
| Creative in work or play | 0.083 | 0.066 | 0.113 | 0.140 |
Note: The reference category is the bottom socioeconomic quintile. Almost all the differences between the represented socioeconomic quintiles and the bottom quintile are statistically significant (see Garcia 2015, forthcoming). Dependent variables are standardized. Each regression uses the maximum number of observations available in each case. Coefficients are weighted and corrected for heteroskedasticity. Specifications include controls for gender, ethnicity, family composition and size, language at home different from English, disability, whether the student attended any type of prekindergarten center, and age in months. Information represents values at the start of kindergarten (fall 2010).
Source: Adapted from Inequalities at the Starting Gate (Garcia 2015, forthcoming), which analyzes data from the National Center for Education's ECLS-K 2010–2011 data set