The "Matthew Effect," a term coined by Keith Stanovich, describes the impact of the educational system on a student who starts school behind and stays behind. In fact, for many children this gap between potential and achievement often widens throughout their school years resulting in dropout. 

The problem of school dropout impacts not only the lives of individuals, but society as a whole. A major cause of dropout is failing to learn to read. Parents of children living in poverty are less likely to report that their preschool age child can identify primary colors, recognize most or all letters of the alphabet, count to 20, pretend to read a story or read a story when presented with a book, or write his/her own name than parents in families without these risk factors. These skills and this knowledge are precursors to developing reading and writing skills, critical elements of success in school. Our long-term study of inner city children in Dallas indicates that children from low socio-economic families can enter kindergarten prepared to learn to read, and sustain a level of academic achievement equal to and above their peers to at least the end of the third grade. The children in this study attend a Head Start center that includes a rich language curriculum, The Language Enrichment Activities Program (LEAP). Teachers use the LEAP curriculum guide and interact with children as they develop language skills by including activities that are multisensory, interactive, structured and sequential throughout the day and throughout the classroom. 

The core of this program is to read aloud from books and include language in a variety of activities every day. Besides reading to children, components of LEAP include games and pictures for building vocabulary and expressive language skills, phonological awareness, knowledge of the letters of the alphabet, concept development and fine motor, pre-writing skills. Teachers are encouraged to talk to the children as often as possible during the day, modeling correct grammar and a rich vocabulary. Teachers also incorporate counting and word games, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and creative play in learning centers throughout the day. Engaging children in activities with environmental print, literature, writing, and language experience charts encourages print awareness. 

From the National Head Start offices to the Texas State Legislature, the focus is on teacher training and ways to improve preschool education. The children whose lives are characterized by poverty have a new opportunity to succeed in school and beyond, but parents, schools, and schools of higher education must work together to make it happen. LEAP , which was developed at a University, has ten years of collaborative experience in these arenas. LEAP is research based and has a proven record of giving these children a strong foundation for learning.