Intergenerational Economic Mobility for Low-Income Parents and Their Children: A Dual Developmental Science Framework

Abstract

In this review we bring a psychological perspective to the issue of intergenerational economic mobility. More specifically, we present a new dual developmental science framework to consider the educational outcomes of parents and children together in order to foster economic mobility. We focus on two key populations: children in early childhood (from birth to age 6) and parents in early adulthood (in their 20s and early 30s). We posit that mastery of three sets of developmental tasks for each generation—academic/language skills, self-regulation/mental health, and parent-child relationship—will lead to improved educational outcomes for both. Taken as a whole, the dual developmental science framework integrates theory and research on single-generation development (i.e., children or parents) with dynamic and bidirectional theories about the interdependence of children and parents over time. We conclude the review by evaluating existing education interventions and research using the dual developmental science framework, and we discuss opportunities for innovation. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 72 is January 5, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Investigating socio-spatial differences between solo ridehailing and pooled rides in diverse communities

“…Moreover, work in the social sciences has established that numerous factors related to household structure, employment, income, wealth and racial status can make households more vulnerable to a lack of economic opportunity that is perpetuated as economic immobility (Sabol et al, 2020). Moreover, just like socio-demographic privilege, disadvantage comes in clusters, making it difficult to allocate the influence of separate factors (Smeeding, 2016).…”

The promise and purpose of early care and education

“…A central tenet of developmental theories is that the lives of parents and of children are inextricably connected (Sabol et al, 2021). Ecological, interactionist, and life course theories describe how the well‐being of parents affects the child, and the well‐being of the child affects parents, and that this tightly woven dyad implies that changes in one generation are likely to lead to changes in the other (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006; Elder, 1998; Sameroff, 2010).…”

“…Yet, most developmental research on ECE limits its focus on the impact of ECE on the child and to a lesser degree, on parenting, but does not thoroughly consider the effects of ECE on parents' employment specifically or the family system in general. A major exception is the dual developmental science framework (Sabol et al, 2021), which explicitly integrates these two direct pathways of ECE. The authors argue that the most effective way to address opportunity gaps in the United States is to provide programs that can improve educational outcomes (and employment, for parents) for both children and their parents with low incomes, often called two‐generation programs (Chase‐Lansdale & Brooks‐Gunn, 2014).…”

“…Most developmental research that focuses on both parent and child outcomes has involved evaluations of two‐generation programs (Sabol et al, 2021; Sommer et al, 2018). Head Start is the most prominent two‐generation policy initiative, with a major focus on improving parenting and providing high‐quality child care, nutrition, and health surveillance, but with very limited direct parent supports.…”

Racial Awareness and Bias Begin Early: Developmental Entry Points, Challenges, and a Call to Action

“…Scholars in demography, economics, sociology, education, and human development have led the way in developing nationally representative data sets, ones that shed light on the broad contexts in which development unfolds (e.g., Chase-Lansdale et al, 1991; Chetty et al, 2016). This includes identifying how neighborhoods, schools, interventions, and policies affect child outcomes (Burkholder et al, 2019; Chase-Lansdale et al, 2019; Chen et al, 2012 Chetty et al, 2016; Ispa-Landa, 2018; Reardon & Owens, 2014; Sabol et al, 2021; Sampson & Sharkey, 2008; Schanzenbach, 2019). Unfortunately, this multidisciplinary body of work has made insufficient contact with evidence from the broader psychological sciences on how racial bias and inequities unfold in young children.…”