Honorary doctoral degree lecture with Eric Dearing

Social scientists have long recognized that children in poor households experience a range of challenges, often struggling with learning in school and facing exceptional risk for mental health problems. For children growing up poor in wealthy societies, however, it has been a matter of controversy as to whether these struggles are, in fact, due to low family income. Some social scientists (and policy makers) have argued that low household income is the outcome (not cause) of dysfunction within poor households, and this dysfunction is the true culprit for children growing up poor, not money. Professor Dearing's research has led him to be skeptical of these arguments. 

In this lecture, Professor Dearing will present evidence from two decades of work in Norway and the United States illustrating the powerful ways in which money matters for children growing up poor in wealthy societies. This evidence provides a window into how poverty creates obstacles to children’s growth as well as a window into policy and intervention that offer opportunities for children to thrive."

Eric Dearing

Professor Dearing is a leading researcher on equity in education. He has been particularly focused on the development and life chances of children growing up in poverty and minority children. He has made significant contributions to understanding the role of education, the family, and the wider context for a wide variety of educational and developmental outcomes.

Since 2009, Dearing has been heavily involved in research on effects of early education in Norway. In particular, this work has demonstrated causal effects of the universal early education program in Norway on early language development and on school achievement for children from low income families and families with low parental education.

Dearing has served a mentoring role for many of the Norwegian researchers he has collaborated with.