[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-590430-105":59,"doc-detail-590430-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","starting-o-the-importance-of-early-learning-by-chrys-dougherty","Starting O - The Importance of Early Learning - By Chrys Dougherty","","Discusses the significance of early learning for student success, especially for economically disadvantaged learners who enter kindergarten behind in reading, mathematics, oral language, vocabulary, and general knowledge. Uses achievement data and research to explain why learning gaps appear early and why students who start poorly often struggle to thrive later. Argues that when most students need substantial help, the regular curriculum must be upgraded. Highlights benefits of early learning: time for mastery, cumulative curriculum design, and early development of interests supported by guided access to rich content.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/starting-o-the-importance-of-early-learning-by-chrys-dougherty/590430/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/starting-o-the-importance-of-early-learning-by-chrys-dougherty/590430.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Pentious","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-16","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":14},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why is early learning especially important for economically disadvantaged students?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Large numbers of disadvantaged students begin kindergarten behind in early reading and mathematics, oral language, vocabulary, and general knowledge, which creates serious learning gaps early.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does early learning influence later learning outcomes?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Early learning helps later learning because students who already know more about a topic learn additional information more easily, and early exposure can stimulate motivation to learn more.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What does the article suggest schools should do to strengthen early learning?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"School districts should develop systems of practices that enable a richer curriculum for all students, with particular emphasis on strengthening reading and mathematics in preschool and elementary grades.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},590430,1792174711,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":14,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":29,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},1374404730887,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Starting O􀀞 Strong  \n􀀝e Importance of Early Learning  \nBy Chrys Dougherty  \nAs our nation strives to have all students graduate  \nfrom high school ready for college and other post  \nsecondary learning opportunities, we have to con  \nfront the reality that we are far from achieving this goal. The problem is most severe with economically disadvantaged students. For example, in states where all 11th-graders take the ACT test, only 45 percent of low-income students in 2012 met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in English, 30 percent in reading, 21 percent in mathematics, and 13 percent in science.1  \nFor many students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, learning gaps appear in early childhood.2 Large numbers  \nof disadvantaged students enter kindergarten behind in early reading and mathematics skills, oral language development, vocabulary, and general knowledge. 􀀝is situation poses a challenge for intervention models that presume that 15 percent or so of students need short-term additional help, 5 percent or so need long-term intervention, and the regular academic program will take care of the rest.3 In cases where the great majority of students are academically behind and need major assistance, the regular academic program must be upgraded to deliver a richer curriculum to all students. Such a curriculum is highly bene􀀞cial for all students, but is especially critical for disadvantaged students, who often arrive from home with limited knowledge and vocabulary. School districts must develop a system of practices that enable such a curriculum to be taught e ectively.4  \nILLUSTRAT IONS BY PAUL ZWOLAK  \nChrys Dougherty is a senior research scientist at ACT Inc., where he writes about college readiness and the value of longitudinal student data and statewide student information systems. A former elementary schoolteacher, he is the author of Asking the Right Questions about Schools: AParents’ Guide (2002). is article 􀀞rst appeared as anACT policy report, College and Career Readiness: 􀀝e Importance of Early Learning (2013), and is reprinted with permission of ACT Inc. e original report can be downloaded at [http://act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/Importanceof](http://act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/Importanceof)[ ](http://act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/Importanceof)[EarlyLearning.pdf. Permission requests for further reprints in other pub-](EarlyLearning.pdf. Permission requests for further reprints in other pub-)lications may be sent [to ACT at publications@act.org](to ACT at publications@act.org).  \nWhy Early Learning Is Important  \n􀀝at learning gaps emerge early, particularly among disadvantaged students, is one of the better-documented facts in education.5 Students who do not have a good start usually do not thrive later on. 􀀝at is not only due to the fact that students in stressful environments with limited learning opportunities often remain in those environments, but also because early learning itself facilitates later learning—students who already know more about a topic often have an easier time learning additional information  \n14 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | SUMMER 2014  \non the same topic, and early exposure to knowledge can stimulate students to want to learn more.6  \nGetting students o to a good start in preschool and the elementary grades is vitally important for several reasons:  \nLearning takes time. Research studies have addressed the value of allowing su􀀜cient time per topic for students to adequately master the topic.7 This implies that subject-matter learning should be spread out over many years to permit a range of topics to be addressed inadequate depth. For example, one well-known curriculum for the elementary and middle grades spreads out the study of U.S. history over all of those grades, covering fewer topics in greater depth in each grade.8  \nLearning is cumulative. In a well-designed curriculum, learning in the upper grades builds on prior learning in the lower grades.9 􀀝is is most obvious in th","cbCairiTaXuTSe20","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairiTaXuTSe20","pdf",715233,"English","# The Importance of Early Learning\n## Why Early Learning Is Important\n## Strengthening Early Learning","[{\"question\":\"Why is early learning especially important for economically disadvantaged students?\",\"answer\":\"Large numbers of disadvantaged students begin kindergarten behind in early reading and mathematics, oral language, vocabulary, and general knowledge, which creates serious learning gaps early.\"},{\"question\":\"How does early learning influence later learning outcomes?\",\"answer\":\"Early learning helps later learning because students who already know more about a topic learn additional information more easily, and early exposure can stimulate motivation to learn more.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the article suggest schools should do to strengthen early learning?\",\"answer\":\"School districts should develop systems of practices that enable a richer curriculum for all students, with particular emphasis on strengthening reading and mathematics in preschool and elementary grades.\"}]","Starting O - The Importance of Early Learning - By Chrys Dougherty | PDF",1792069615,15]