Do Skills Beget Skills.pdf (305.53 kB)
Do 'Skills Beget Skills'? Evidence on the Effect of Kindergarten Entrance Age on the Evolution of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skill Gaps in Childhood
journal contribution
posted on 2017-08-16, 00:00 authored by D Lubotsky, R KaestnerWe use exogenous variation in the skills that children have at the beginning of
kindergarten to measure the extent to which “skills beget skills” in this context. Children who are
relatively older when they begin kindergarten score higher on measures of cognitive and noncognitive
achievement at the beginning of kindergarten. Their scores on cognitive assessments
grow faster during kindergarten and first grade. However, after first grade the scores of younger
entrants catch up. We find no evidence that the growth in non-cognitive measures differs
between older and younger entrants. Finally, we provide evidence suggesting that schools are not
the cause of the younger students’ faster growth after first grade.