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Source: Invest in Kids Working Group
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Heckman, James J.
The Technology and Neuroscience of Skill Formation
Presented: Chicago, IL, Invest in Kids Working Group, Center for Economic Development, July 17, 2006.
Also: http://www.ced.org/docs/ivk/iikmeeting_slides200607heckman.pdf
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Committee for Economic Development
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Behavioral Problems; Child Development; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Skill Formation

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Introduction
  • The success of modern economies depends in part on well-educated and
    adaptable workers who are capable of learning new skills so that
    they remain competitive in a continually changing global market.
  • Families are major producers of the skills that promote schooling
    and adaptability.
  • Behavioral research confirms that the early years are foundational
    for a full range of human competencies and are a period of
    heightened sensitivity to the effects of both positive and negative
    experiences.
Bibliography Citation
Heckman, James J. "The Technology and Neuroscience of Skill Formation." Presented: Chicago, IL, Invest in Kids Working Group, Center for Economic Development, July 17, 2006.
2. Heckman, James J.
Masterov, Dimitriy V.
The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children
Working Paper 5, Invest in Kids Working Group, October 2004.
Also: http://www.ced.org/docs/report/report_ivk_heckman_2004.pdf
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Committee for Economic Development
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Bias Decomposition; Children, Academic Development; Educational Aspirations/Expectations; Educational Attainment; Family Influences; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Labor Market Outcomes; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math)

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Introduction
Education, perseverance and motivation are all major factors determining productivity, both in the workplace and beyond it. The family is a major producer of these skills, which are indispensable for successful students and workers. Unfortunately, many families have failed to perform this task well in recent years. This retards the growth in the quality of the labor force. Dysfunctional families are also a major determinant of child participation in crime and other costly pathological behaviors. On productivity grounds alone, it appears to make sound business sense to invest in young children from disadvantaged environments. An accumulating body of evidence suggests that early childhood interventions are much more effective than remedies that attempt to compensate for early neglect later in life. Enriched pre-kindergarten programs available to disadvantaged children on a voluntary basis, coupled with home visitation programs, have a strong track record of promoting achievement for disadvantaged children, improving their labor market outcomes and reducing involvement with crime. Such programs are likely to generate substantial savings to society and to promote higher economic growth by improving the skills of the workforce...This paper presents a case for investing more in young American children who grow up in disadvantaged environments. Figure 1 presents time series of alternative measures of disadvantaged families. The percentage of children born into or living in nontraditional families has increased tremendously in the last 30 years.1,2 The percentage of children living in poverty has fallen recently, as has the percentage of all children born into poor families, though this number is still high, especially among certain subgroups. The percentage of children born into single parent homes is now 25%. These environments place children at risk for failure in social and economic life. Many have commented on this phenomenon, and most analyses have cast the issue of assisting the children of these
Bibliography Citation
Heckman, James J. and Dimitriy V. Masterov. "The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children." Working Paper 5, Invest in Kids Working Group, October 2004.