A study reveals that delaying school entry can have positive effects on younger siblings.

According to a recent study led by Yale sociologist Emma Zang, having an older sibling who is high-achieving can aid in the academic success of children, particularly those from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. The study, which utilized North Carolina public schools data, revealed that students born just after the kindergarten cutoff date for the state and, thus, are typically among the oldest in their class, perform better academically than their younger classmates. Furthermore, the success of these older siblings exhibits a positive impact on their younger siblings once they reach middle school. Family background characteristics such as race, mothers’ educational attainment, family structure, and school poverty levels were analyzed. The research underscores the significance of spillover effects on students from older, academically successful siblings, particularly for disadvantaged families.

The team of researchers noted that students born just within two months of the cutoff date had higher math and reading test scores of around one-fifth of a standard deviation in elementary school than their younger peers. The gap between the two groups lessened during middle school. The study highlights that for younger siblings, having a high-achieving older sibling born shortly after the kindergarten cutoff date corresponds to a boost in their total math and reading scores when they enter middle school. The data suggests that by middle school, older siblings’ successes start having a significant impact on their younger siblings’ academic performance, primarily during a developmental phase characterized by uncertainty and challenges.

Zang explains that this influence is more potent for younger siblings in schools with higher poverty levels than for their counterparts in low-poverty schools. Among disadvantaged families, the sibling spillover effect showed statistical significance across all four categories examined. In contrast, the study discovered that among socioeconomically advantaged families, the spillover effect only proved significant for children whose mothers had an academic qualification higher than high school at their birth. Zang notes that affluent families could be in a better position to mitigate the impact of older siblings’ successes on their younger siblings’ academic performance.

The study’s authors note that delay in school entry significantly benefits wealthier families, who are likely already ahead of other students in class and sports activities, but whose parents opt to hold them back to accrue an extra advantage. By comparison, poorer families may not have the luxury of delaying their children’s school entry to obtain similar benefits. Enforcing policies to curb this practice can significantly redress the inequality between affluent and underprivileged families. Additionally, Zang notes that the influence of older siblings on their younger counterparts’ academic performance can be positive or negative, depending on various factors, thereby underscoring the critical policy implications of such sibling spillovers, particularly in countries like the US with limited social safety nets.

 

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