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The article synthesizes research to explain when inequality begins and how to invest limited resources to build productive human capital.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-economics-of-inequality-the-value-of-early-childhood-education/592374/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-economics-of-inequality-the-value-of-early-childhood-education/592374.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"McGucket","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-10","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why does the text treat educational equity as an economic imperative?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It states that educational equity influences individual and national outcomes through productivity and long-term health and social effects. 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Heckman  \nducational equity is often discussed as a moral issue.  \nEAnotproderctiwayvityo thndncanoumieequffityiecays a wayAs ano promoconomi,  \nI focus on the economic value of equalizing educational opportunities and achievement in order to identify the most effective way to increase the productivity of the American economy. We need a capable and productive workforce that will compete successfully in the global economy. Underdeveloped human potential burdens our economy and leaves us with a workforce that is less than it could be.  \nJames J. Heckman is the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in economics, and an expert in the economics of human development. His groundbreaking work with a consortium of economists, developmental psychologists, sociologists, statisticians, and neuroscientists has proven that the quality of early childhood development heavily influences health, economic, and social outcomes for individuals and society at large. Heckman has proven that there are substantial economic gains to be had by investing in early childhood development. This article is based on“Schools, Skills, and Synapses,” which Heckman wrote for the July 2008 issue of Economic Inquiry, available at [http://ftp.iza.org/dp3515.pdf](http://ftp.iza.org/dp3515.pdf).  \nTraditionally, equity and efficiency are viewed as competing goals. One can be fair in devising a policy, but it often happens that what is fair is not economically efficient. Conversely, what is efficient may not be fair. Thus a cut in the tax rate on capital gains promotes economic efficiency by stimulating investment; it is not fair because it mainly benefits the rich.  \nWhat is remarkable is that there are some policies that both are fair—i.e., promote equity—and promote economic efficiency. Investing in the early years of disadvantaged children’s lives is one such policy.  \nA large body of data from economics, biology, and psychology shows that educational equity is more than a social justice imperative; it is an economic imperative that has far-reaching implications for our nation. My work has focused on the economic value of human capital development, specifically the value of providing resources to disadvantaged children and their families in an attempt to equalize the children’s possibilities for social and economic success.  \nFor many years, Flavio Cunha from the University of Pennsylvania, myself, and colleagues at the University of Chicago, University College Dublin, and other institutions have been synthesizing what is known from the fields of biology, human development, education, psychology, cognitive science, and  \nAMERICAN EDUCATOR | SPRING 2011 31  \neconomics to answer the following three questions:  \n1. When does inequality start?  \n2. Is it worthwhile to reduce inequality by investing in education?  \n3. How best to invest limited resources to create more productive human capital?  \nIt is important to look at the data and invest wisely. This is an imperative among economists. Our society has finite resources. Taxpayers can and should expect value for their investments in government programs and in their fellow citizens. Taking a hard look atthe economic value of efforts to create human capital helps us see where best to invest our resources in education to achieve its ideal—equalizing opportunity to build greater and enduring value for all.  \nThe evidence is quite clear that inequality in the development of human capabilities produces negative social and economic outcomes that can and should be prevented with investmentsin early childhood education, particularly targeted toward disadvantaged children and their families.  \nThe Data Show a Need for a New Model of Skill Formation  \nAmerica is using antiquated models of human skill formation in devising policies to educate children for success in the","cbCaiaS4NjOtW8Ma","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaS4NjOtW8Ma","pdf",825089,"English","# The Economics of Inequality\n## The Value of Early Childhood Education\n## Equity, Efficiency, and Economic Productivity\n## When Inequality Starts and How to Invest\n## A Need for a New Model of Skill Formation\n## Winning or Losing the Lottery of Birth","[{\"question\":\"Why does the text treat educational equity as an economic imperative?\",\"answer\":\"It states that educational equity influences individual and national outcomes through productivity and long-term health and social effects. Underdeveloped human potential is described as a burden on the economy.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the article identify as key questions for reducing inequality?\",\"answer\":\"It asks when inequality starts, whether investing in education is worthwhile, and how to allocate limited resources to create more productive human capital.\"},{\"question\":\"What conclusions are drawn about effective early childhood investment?\",\"answer\":\"The text concludes that early experiences shape later ability and achievement, that cognitive skills work alongside social skills, and that investment in quality early education can reduce achievement gaps and related social costs.\"}]","The Economics of Inequality - The Value of Early Childhood Education | PDF",1792074437,15]