Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade

This study followed a sample of 179 children from kindergarten through eigh th grade to examine the extent to which kindergarten teachers' perceptions of their relationships with students predict a range of school outcomes. Ki ndergarten teachers rated children's behavior and the quality of the teache r-child relationship. Followup data from first through eighth grade were or ganized by epoch and included academic grades, standardized test scores, wo rk-habit ratings, and discipline records. Relational Negativity in kinderga rten, marked by conflict and dependency, was related to academic and behavi oral outcomes through eighth grade, particularly for children with high lev els of behavior problems in kindergarten and for boys generally. These asso ciations remained significant after controlling for gender, ethnicity, cogn itive ability, and behavior ratings. The results have implications for theo ries of the determinants of school success, the role of adult-child relatio nships in development, and a range of early intervention and prevention eff orts.