There is a line in the Matthew's Gospel that says, "For unto
every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance:
but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which
he hath" (XXV:29). This line has often been summarized as, "The
rich get richer, and the poor get poorer." Researchers have
noted repeatedly that some children come to school somewhat
"wealthier" than their peers when it comes to early reading
skills. As time goes by, those students who start out with some
literacy advantages tend to thrive and grow academically, while
their less fortunate peers tend to get left behind. Like the
line in Matthew's Gospel, the rich students get richer, and the
poor students get poorer. Hence, in 1983, Walberg and Tsai first
coined the term the "Matthew Effect" to describe the fact that,
without intervention, some students rapidly develop and build
upon strong literacy foundations, and other students languish
behind their more fortunate peers. When a child first comes to
school, it is possible