ABSTRACT
Eliminating social injustice is and remains one of the major challenges faced by education and society. Although inequality at world level is falling, at the national level the inequality problem continues to be as crucial as it has ever been. Having examined social inequality in depth, Cunha and Heckman reached the conclusion that the gulf between children from difference socio-economic backgrounds has already been firmly established before the child first attends school. The skill level of a child younger than five is highly correlated with certain family related factors such as the parents’ educational level. The 30 Million Words initiative launched by Professor Dana Suskind, based on research by Betty Hart and Todd Risley, has demonstrated that some children – particularly those from deprived backgrounds and/or neighborhoods – have heard 30 million fewer and less varied words than children from better areas by the time they’re four years old.
