In a study of school readiness, 90 American born, middle class Jewish children were tested before entering the first grade and divided into two groups. The groups were well-matched with one difference: children were either Ashkenazic (of European descent) or Sephardic (of Syrian descent). Families of both of these groups, however, had been in the United States for at least 25 years. Cognitive measures such as the Stanford-Binet, Columbia Mental Maturity Scale, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test were given to the children; parent attitude scales were given to the mothers. Additional data were collected on the educational and financial aspirations of the mothers for their children. Analysis of the data showed significant school readiness differences. The Ashkenazic children, whose cultural background possibly supported academic achievement, were more prepared than the Sephardic children, whose training seemed to stress financial success. Study findings suggest that implicit cultural factors, aspirations, and mores affect children's school readiness, even when poverty and other disadvantages are absent. (MS)