Matthew Effects for Whom?

Which children are most at risk of experiencing a Matthew effect in reading? We investigated this question using population-based methodology. First, we identified children entering kindergarten on socio-demographic factors (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) well known to index the relative risks and resources available to them as beginning readers. Second, we fitted growth curve models to the kindergarten-3rd grade reading scores of these children as they participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K) study. Third, we compared the children's relative reading achievement (as measured in standard deviation units from the sample's overall mean across the study's time points) of those children most and least at risk for learning disabilities. We found that those population subgroups most at risk for learning disabilities fall further behind typical readers over time. By contrast, those least at risk for learning disabilities do not move further ahead. We conclude that a one-sided Matthew effect exists and, moreover, it exists for those children at greatest risk for learning disabilities.