Study: Math Scores Matter More for Adult Earnings Than Reading, Health Factors

mathematics computation

When it comes to factors that affect a student’s well-being in adulthood, better math skills might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But as it turns out, increasing math scores helps deliver stronger long-term returns for students — especially related to earnings — than improvements in reading scores and factors involving health.

That’s one of the top-line findings from a 2024 report from the Urban Institute, which sought to understand whether devoting resources to children’s health and social development yields greater benefits than devoting resources to their cognitive development; the study also looks at what aspects of a child’s cognitive development play relatively larger roles in their adult outcomes. 

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