Essential Questions for Early Grade Reading: Positive School Environment
Early Grade Reading Playbook: Chapter 9
Overview
Reading proficiency in the early grades sets children on a path to lifelong success. Children who read well by third grade are far more likely to graduate high school, enroll in college and thrive across all subjects. Communities can close reading gaps through high-quality instruction aligned to the Science of Reading, well-trained teachers, early intervention and coordinated support across education and neighborhood systems.
Positive, literacy-rich school environments create the conditions for safety, inclusivity and support by focusing on holistic child development and approaches. Young learners want to attend school consistently when environments are positive and supportive.
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Question 19: Do young learners attend schools with safe, inclusive and supportive environments?
Why it matters
Safe, inclusive and supportive environments: A sense of belonging in school contributes to improved achievement, well-being and health. When young learners feel they belong, they experience higher levels of motivation, engagement and tenacity (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Climate surveys, which measure experiences beyond academic ones, are typically used to understand the extent to which students and educators feel safe, seen and connected. Positive climate survey results are positively associated with stronger academic and behavioral outcomes (StriveTogether 2021). Children have safe, inclusive and supportive learning experiences when their identities are considered, reflected and celebrated in their learning environment. This kind of environment also offers resources that allow their teachers to provide an inclusive environment for children. Children who see themselves in books, in artwork and in characters, and who have teachers who look like them, have more equitable, engaging learning experiences (STEP Forward with Data Framework).
School and workplace racial and ethnic diversity: Greater diversity is shown to reduce intergroup prejudice and improve intelligence and innovation (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Racial and ethnic diversity is positively associated with children’s language development in early learning programs (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Workplaces with a diverse team see better employee interpersonal skills and innovation, better financial performance and less conflict (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
School and workplace economic diversity: The disparity in average school poverty rates between white and Black students is the single most important predictor of differences between their academic achievement (Education-to-Workforce Framework). The relationship between economic segregation and outcomes begins in early childhood, where children’s academic achievement and social-emotional development have been linked to the average socioeconomic status of their classroom, regardless of a child’s own economic or demographic background (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
School safety: School safety is a core component of a school’s climate, which is linked to higher attendance and academic achievement (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Research shows disparities in students’ feelings of safety according to their race and ethnicity. For example, one study found that students in schools serving predominantly Black and Latine populations report feeling less safe and having less positive peer interactions than those at schools with predominantly white and Asian populations, on average (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Even within the same schools, Black and Latine students report feeling less safe than their white and Asian peers (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
School and family engagement: School engagement with families provides benefits to students academically and socially, both in short-term school success and long-term outcomes (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Although family engagement is key to students’ educational success, not all schools successfully build a culture that welcomes and engages all families, and especially families of color. For example, an analysis of parent survey data in California found that perceptions of how well the school encouraged parental involvement were significantly lower among Indigenous parents compared to other groups (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
School-family engagement
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
School safety
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Inclusive environments
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
School and workplace racial and ethnic diversity
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
School and workplace socioeconomic diversity
Question 20: Do young learners attend schools that prioritize their social, emotional and physical development and well-being?
Why it matters
Schools can be a critical place to access support for students’ physical, mental and social-emotional health. For example, three out of four students who ever access mental health services do so through their school (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Schools that provide access to nurses, school psychologists and social workers tend to see improved learning outcomes, school climate and student well-being (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
Social-emotional skills: Social-emotional skills are just as essential as cognitive skills for school success. These skills include the ability to manage emotions, follow directions, take turns, share, take responsibility, work independently and cooperatively, and stick with a task; motivation; enjoyment of learning; and the executive function — an ability to control oneself, make plans, learn rules, act appropriately and think in abstract terms (Annie E. Casey Foundation).
Access to health, mental health and social supports: Regular well-child visits provide an opportunity for health professionals to monitor children’s physical and behavioral health and development, provide age-appropriate guidance to parents and screen for maternal depression (Rhode Island Kids Count). Well-child visits screen children for common concerns in early childhood, including lead poisoning, hearing and vision problems, behavior problems and delayed speech and language development (Rhode Island Kids Count). Timely, age-appropriate immunizations usually indicate that a child has access to regular medical care. Vaccines are cost-effective tools that prevent children from developing severe diseases (Rhode Island Kids Count).
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Social-emotional skills
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Social capital
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Access to health, mental health and social supports
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Physical development and well-being
Question 21: Are young learners demonstrating consistent attendance?
Why it matters
Attendance: Attendance matters because succeeding in school requires being in school; a child who isn’t present isn’t acquiring what he or she needs to know to succeed there. Consistent attendance means a student attends school regularly, typically being present for 90% or more of the school year. Students who attend school consistently are more likely to read proficiently by third grade — research shows that students with satisfactory attendance (90% or higher) in kindergarten and first grade are twice as likely to be on track in third grade compared to those who are chronically absent (Attendance Works).
Chronic absenteeism refers to a student missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason, including both excused and unexcused absences. Chronic absence in kindergarten is associated with lower academic performance in first grade. Chronic absenteeism is a big challenge for young learners, with at least 10% of kindergarten and first graders nationwide chronically absent from school, with students living in poverty four times more likely to be chronically absent (New America). For children experiencing poverty, chronic early absence predicts the lowest levels of educational achievement at the end of fifth grade (Annie E. Casey Foundation). Chronic early absence can also signal problems within the school or community or a parent’s unawareness that regular attendance matters. It also may be caused by major family stressors, such as a parent’s physical or mental health condition, family violence, substance abuse or child abuse or neglect (Annie E. Casey Foundation).
Research demonstrates a strong relationship between absenteeism and learning outcomes, and higher rates of absenteeism for disadvantaged students can widen achievement gaps (Birth to Grade 3 Indicator Framework).
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Consistent attendance
Question 22: Are there young learners who disproportionately experience exclusionary discipline?
Why it matters
Discipline practices: Research documents persistent disparities in exclusionary discipline — that is, disciplinary actions that remove students from their educational setting, such as an in- or out-of-school suspension — along race, socioeconomic background and disability status (Education-to-Workforce Framework). Research also suggests that high rates of suspension and expulsion reduces students’ opportunity to learn, increases likelihood of dropping out or becoming disengaged from school and disproportionately affects Black and Latine students as well as students receiving special education (Birth to Grade 3 Indicator Framework). School practices play a key role in determining students’ disciplinary outcomes. Different approaches to discipline, such as restorative justice and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), may be related to improvements in school culture and climate (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Equitable discipline practices
Question 23: Are young learners demonstrating positive behavior?
Why it matters
Positive behavior: Young learner school experience is more positive and productive when they have a sense of personal well-being established through stable, caring relationships in their early lives. Emotional health and social competence enable children to participate in learning and form good relationships with teachers and peers (Rhode Island Kids Count). Success in school depends not only on academic skills, but also on the learning styles, habits and attitudes with which students approach learning (Rhode Island Kids Count). Student behavior is a strong predictor of later outcomes and is a component of many early warning indicators, along with attendance and course grades (Education-to-Workforce Framework).
Contributing factor | Key source: E-W Framework
Positive behavior
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