SES disparities in early math abilities: The contributions of parents' math cognitions, practices to support math, and math talk

SES disparities in early math achievement are large and persistent across development and yet relatively understudied. Given the early emergence of these gaps, it is unlikely that school factors can explain why low-SES children tend to start school behind their peers in math skills. Rather, we argue that characteristics of parents, including their beliefs about math, their practices to support math, and their language about math concepts, mediate the observed associations between SES and math learning in early childhood. We first review the existing theoretical frameworks that support this conceptualization, including academic socialization, the home numeracy model, and concerted cultivation, with particular emphasis on the intersections and limitations of these past theories for understanding the early emergence of math disparities. We then propose a hybrid conceptualization of these frameworks and review research describing each proposed pathway. Specifically, we describe studies addressing how parents' beliefs, practices, and language might explain SES disparities in children's math achievement. Finally, we review the implications for our conceptual framework, major limitations of this literature, and remaining questions for future studies.