This study examined the impact of a school readiness intervention on external response monitoring in children in foster care. Behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) data were collected during a flanker task from children who received the Kids In Transition to School (KITS) Program (n = 26) and children who received services as usual (n = 19) before and after the intervention. While there were no significant group differences on the behavioral data, the ERP data for the two groups of children significantly differed. Specifically, in contrast to the children who received services as usual, the children who received the KITS Program displayed greater amplitude differences between positive and negative performance feedback over time for the N1, which reflects early attention processes, and feedback-related negativity, which reflects evaluation processes. In addition, although the two groups did not differ on amplitude differences between positive and negative performance feedback for these ERP components before the intervention, the children who received the KITS Program displayed greater amplitude differences than the children who received services as usual after the intervention. These results suggest that the KITS Program had an effect on responsivity to external performance feedback, which may be beneficial during the transition into kindergarten.

Immigrant children in Denmark differ greatly in educational outcomes. This study examined whether systematic differences in majority language (L2) and preliteracy skills are apparent already at ages 2–6 in immigrant children in Denmark across regional immigration background. Danish language and preliteracy skills in 1,211 immigrant children in four regional groups (based on maternal origin) and 11,259 native Danish nonimmigrant children, all enrolled in Danish childcare centers, were assessed using an age- and gender-normed language assessment instrument. Hierarchical linear models showed that all four immigrant groups scored significantly lower than the native Danish group; the negative coefficients diminished but remained significant when socioeconomic background and having a native Danish father were controlled for. In addition, even with these controls, significant differences existed between some of the immigrant groups, suggesting that factors relating to regional immigrant background were important sources of differences in L2 development. A greater immigrant disadvantage for language than preliteracy skills was found; two immigrant groups did not differ significantly from the nonimmigrant Danish group for preliteracy skills. The results suggest that measures to reduce inequalities in long-term educational achievement between immigrant groups should be taken already before school with a particular focus on L2 language skills.

A three-phase study examined preprimary grade repetition in Western Australian schools. The purpose was to identify factors that influence teacher recommendations to repeat and to investigate outcomes of repeating. Focus group discussions with 24 preprimary teachers in the first phase identified three categories of factors: child, home, and school. Child factors that teachers considered important for coping in Year I were language, motor, and social skills. In the second phase of the study, 54 children were assessed on these three skills using the Early Screening Profiles (Harrison, 1990). A control group of“competent”Year Is was compared with children repeating preprimary and with Year Is considered “at risk” of not coping.The control group performed significantly better on all three skills than the other two groups, confirming thot these skills are accurately assessed in teachers’judgements of readiness for Year 1. The third phase of the study consisted of a posttest of the at-risk Year Is and the children repeating preprimary. The posttest late in the academic year did not find any significant differences between the language, motor, and social development of the two groups.