Early Teacher-Child Relationships and the Trajectory of Children's School Outcomes Through Eighth Grade

How a child adjusts to kindergarten can impact their long-term school trajectory. Associations between child behavior, teacher relationship quality, academic skills, and achievement were examined among a cohort of 179 children who were followed from kindergarten through eighth grade. Greater relational negativity (e.g., conflict, over-dependency) in kindergarten student-teacher relationships was related to poorer student academic and behavioral outcomes through eighth grade.