Can instructional and emotional support in the first-grade classroom make a difference for children at risk of school failure

This study examined ways in which children’s risk of school failure may be moderated by support from teachers. Participants were 910 children in a national prospective study. Children were identified as at risk at ages 5 – 6 years on the basis of demographic characteristics and the display of multiple functional (behavioral, attention, academic, social) problems reported by their kindergarten teachers. By the end of first grade, at-risk students placed in first-grade classrooms offering strong instructional and emotional support had achievement scores and student – teacher relationships commensurate with their low-risk peers; at-risk students placed in less supportive classrooms had lower achievement and more conflict with teachers. These findings have im-plications for understanding the role that classroom experience may play in pathways to positive adaptation. Identifying the conditions under which experiences in school settings can alter the early trajectories of children’s social or academic functioning has im-portant implications for understanding pathways to children’s positive adaptation. Of particular interest is whether experiences in high-quality classrooms can help close the gap between children at risk of school failure and their low-risk peers, particularly in the early grades when small increments in achievement play a large role in eventual outcome