Parents' education levels and subsequent socioeconomic status impact the ways in which they raise their children. Childrearing practices that include discipline, communication, and expectations all vary greatly both among and between different groups. Parenting skills that support school achievement (e.g., strong language exposure, reading to children frequently, providing help with homework) also fluctuate greatly (Rothstein, 2004). While the topic of socioeconomic impact on education is too vast to be addressed within this module, the influence of income and parental education level on pre-literacy skills is important knowledge for teachers.

Parental education, income and impact on pre-literacy skills
Research has shown that parents who have higher education levels (bachelor's degree or higher) that lead to professional careers provide many more linguistic development opportunities for their children than parents with lower education levels. For example, when compared to parents with lower education levels, parents in professional jobs speak to their children more frequently utilizing:

• enhanced vocabulary
• longer sentences
• direct and open-ended questioning
• questioning that enhances higher-order thinking skills
• more encouraging statements

In addition, classroom teachers should be aware of the link between language skills and behavior. Students with strong language skills are better able to express their thoughts and feelings, explain or justify their needs, and negotiate with peers. Students with poor language skills more often resort to physical attempts (i.e., grabbing) to express their needs or wants. An inability to explain displeasure with a friend or find an acceptable compromise to a situation on the playground can result in pushing, shoving, or worse.

Dr. Dolores Battle discusses these issues further in these audio segments. Dolores Battle Buffalo State College

Determining early language exposure (Time: 1:43) View Transcript Classroom instructional strategies (Time: 1:27) View Transcript Language and behavior (Time: 1:41) View Transcript

Of course, language is not the only issue teachers must consider when working with students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The example below provides an opportunity to think about something as simple as having the necessary materials to complete classroom assignments.

Carlos (right) frequently does not bring the supplies he needs to class. The teacher has spoken to both Carlos and his parents about this. His parents claim they do not understand this behavior, as he has supplies at home and only needs to take them to school. The teacher has been giving him pencils at least twice a week because she knows his family struggles financially, but she is unsure she is handling the situation constructively. When other students do not bring supplies, she charges them a reasonable fee (10 cents for a new pencil, etc.). The fee then goes into her classroom supply account. Students are pretty responsive to this and they learn not to forget their supplies. However, the teacher is apprehensive about using this method with her lower socioeconomic students. How should she handle this situation? There are several ways that a teacher can address this issue. Listen below to two possible responses, and then brainstorm some additional teacher strategies on your own. (Erica Volkers) Setting Up a Payment System (Time: 0:48) View Transcript (Marguerite Huff) Providing Materials (Time: 0:43) View Transcript Your turn You've heard two options for handling this situation. Can you think of any others? Click here for some hints.

Something to think about It is easy for a teacher to become focused on issues of materials, supplies, etc. But it is also important to remember the "big picture" - education. Do you want to spend a lot of time dealing with pencils or instructing your students?