Faculty Directory
Eric Dearing
Executive Director; Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children
Professor
Eric Dearing
Ph.D.
Contact
Campion 201A
Telephone: 617-552-1477
Email: eric.dearing@bc.edu
Education
- Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
- M.A., University of New Hampshire
- B.A., University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Courses
Applied Child Development
Prevention and Intervention Strategies
Research Interests
The roles of family, early child care, school, and community for promoting the cognitive, language, and social-emotional development of children growing up facing economic and social disadvantages.
Expertise
- Cognitive and Social Development
- Formative and Whole Person Education
- Research Methods, Evaluation & Psychometrics
Department
Profile
Eric Dearing applies his background in psychology to explore the links between students’ lives outside of school and their performance in the classroom. Recognized as an esteemed leader in his field, Dearing’s work has been cited in testimony to Congress and appeared in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report and USA Today and on NBC.
Dearing’s research emphasizes the power of families, early education and care, and neighborhood supports to bolster achievement for children growing up in poverty. Much of his current work centers on promoting high-quality parent and early educator engagement to improve math learning for children in low-income families.
Dearing also serves as a member of the Development and Research in Early Math Learning (DREME) network. His many publishing credits include co-editor of the Handbook of Early Childhood Programs, Practices, and Policies and co-author of the committee report Parenting Matters: Supporting Parents of Children 0–8, from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
He has been named a Foundation for Child Development Young Scholar awardee and a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow.
Select Publications
- Casey, B., Lombardi, C., Thomson, D., Nguyen, H., Theriault, C., Paz, M., & Dearing, E. (in press). Maternal support of children's early numerical concept learning predicts preschool and first grade math achievement. Child Development.
- Dearing, E., Sibley, E., Lee-St. John, T., Rsczek, A., & Walsh, M. (2016). Can community and school-based supports improve the achievement of first-generation immigrant children attending high-poverty schools? Child Development, 87, 883-897.
- Dearing, E., Zachrisson, H.D., & Naerde, A. (2015). Age of entry into early childhood education and care and aggresion: Faint and fading associations for young Norwegian children. Psychological Science, 26,1595-1607, DOI: 10.1177/0956797615595011
- Casey, B., Pezaris, E., Fineman, B., Pollock, A., Demers, L. & Dearing, E. (2015). A longitudinal analysis of early spatial skills compared to arithmetic and verbal skills as predictors of fifth grade girls math reasoning. Learning and Individual Differences, 40, 90-100.
- Sibley, E., Dearing, E., Toppelberg, C.O., Mykletun, A., & Zachrisson, H.D. (2015). Does increased availability and reduced cost of early childhood care and education narrow social inequality gaps in utilization? Evidence from Norway. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 9, 1-20.
- Zachrisson, H.D. & Dearing, E. (2015). Family income dynamics, early childhood education and care, and early childhood behavior problems in Norway. Child Development, 86, 425-440.
- Sibley, E. & Dearing, E. (2014). Family educational involvement and child achievement in early elementary school for American-born & immigrant families. Psychology in the Schools, 51, 814-831.
- Walsh, ME., Madaus, G.F., Raczek, A.E., Dearing E., Foley, C., An, C., Lee-St. John, T., & Beaton, A. (2014). A new model for student support in high-poverty urban elementary schools: Effects on elementary and middle school academic outcomes. American Educational Research Journal, 51, 704-737.
- Lund, T.E. & Dearing, E. (2013). Is growing up affluent risky or is the problem growing up in an affluent neighborhood? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23, 274-282. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00829.x
- Zacchrisson, H.D., Dearing, E., Toppelbert, C., & Lekhal, R. (2013). Little evidence that time in child care causes externalizing problems during early childhood in Norway. Child Development, 84, 1152-1170.