Recent research conducted by the University of California at Irvine identified good math skills as being imperative  for kindergarteners to have in order to achieve academic success throughout their school career.

The study analyzed over 20,000 kindergarteners and followed their progress over several years.  Researchers ultimately found that kindergarteners who established solid math skills early on were more likely to exceed in math and literacy in later grades.  The findings trumped previous beliefs that reading skills were most pivotal at a young age.

Math skills were followed by reading and attention skillsin order of importance.  Social skills, including temperament and self-regulation, were also deemed highly important, but not as conducive in shaping a student’s later success.  And although students who displayed antisocial behavior in middle school had a higher likelihood of dropping out in high school, those with low math skills dropped out at an even higher rate.

What are your opinions on the findings?  Do you feel schools should increase their focus on math curriculum for students at a young age?  Share your thoughts with us on our blog.