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The effects of universal pre-k on cognitive development
, 2004
"... In this study of Oklahoma’s universal pre-K program, the authors relied on a strict birthday eligibility criterion to compare “young ” kindergarten children who just completed pre-K to “old ” pre-K children just beginning pre-K. This regression-discontinuity design reduces the threat of selection bi ..."
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In this study of Oklahoma’s universal pre-K program, the authors relied on a strict birthday eligibility criterion to compare “young ” kindergarten children who just completed pre-K to “old ” pre-K children just beginning pre-K. This regression-discontinuity design reduces the threat of selection bias. Their sample consisted of 1,567 pre-K children and 1,461 kindergarten children who had just completed pre-K. The authors estimated the impact of the pre-K treatment on Woodcock–Johnson Achievement test scores. The authors found test impacts of 3.00 points (0.79 of the standard deviation for the control group) for the Letter–Word Identification score, 1.86 points (0.64 of the standard deviation of the control group) for the Spelling score, and 1.94 points (0.38 of the standard deviation of the control group) for the Applied Problems score. Hispanic, Black, White, and Native American children all benefit from the program, as do children in diverse income brackets, as measured by school lunch eligibility status. The authors conclude that Oklahoma’s universal pre-K program has succeeded in enhancing the school readiness of a diverse group of children.
How much is too much? The influence of preschool centers on children’s social and cognitive development
- Economics of Education Review
, 2007
"... Previous research has demonstrated that attending center care is associated with cognitive benefits for young children. However, little is known about the ideal age for children to enter such care or the "right " amount of time, both weekly and yearly, for children to attend center program ..."
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Cited by 49 (3 self)
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Previous research has demonstrated that attending center care is associated with cognitive benefits for young children. However, little is known about the ideal age for children to enter such care or the "right " amount of time, both weekly and yearly, for children to attend center programs. Using national data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), this paper asks whether there are optimal levels of center care duration and intensity and whether these levels vary by race or income. We consider pre-reading and math skills as measured by assessments administered at the beginning of kindergarten, as well as teacher-reported social-behavioral measures. We find that on average attending center care is associated with positive gains in pre-reading and math skills, but negative social behavior. Across economic levels, children who start center care between ages two and three see greater gains than those who start centers earlier or later. Further, starting earlier than age 2 is related to more pronounced negative social effects. Results for center intensity vary by income levels and race. For instance, poor and middle-income children see academic gains from
Social risk and protective child, parenting, and child care factors in early elementary school years. Parenting: Science and Practice
"... Objective. African American children exposed to multiple social risk factors during early childhood often experience academic difficulties, so identifica-tion of protective factors is important. Design. Academic and school behavior trajectories from kindergarten through third grade were studied amon ..."
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Objective. African American children exposed to multiple social risk factors during early childhood often experience academic difficulties, so identifica-tion of protective factors is important. Design. Academic and school behavior trajectories from kindergarten through third grade were studied among 75 African American children who have been followed prospectively since in-fancy to test hypothesized protective factors: quality of home and child care environments during early childhood, child language and social skills at en-try to kindergarten, and school characteristics. Results. Children exposed to multiple risks in early childhood showed lower levels of academic and so-cial-emotional skills from kindergarten through third grade. Parenting medi-ated the association with risk. Children’s language skills, parenting, and child care quality serve as protective factors in acquisition of mathematics skills and reduction in problem behaviors during the first 4 years of primary school for African American children facing multiple risks. Attending a school with a higher proportion of children from low-income families might predict in-creasing numbers of problem behaviors over time. Conclusions. Exposure to social risk in early childhood negatively predicted academic achievement and adjustment during early elementary school for African American children, in part through associations between exposure to social risk and less responsive and stimulating parenting. Furthermore, the negative associations between risk and academic outcomes were substantially weaker when children had more responsive and sensitive parents or child care providers or entered school with stronger language skills.
PK-3 EDUCATION: PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES THAT WORK IN CHILDREN’S FIRST DECADE
, 2006
"... The growing school readiness movement has brought increased attention to identifying educational programs that are most effective for young children. There is increasing empirical evidence that programs to successfully address children’s learning needs must be comprehensive, span multiple years, and ..."
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The growing school readiness movement has brought increased attention to identifying educational programs that are most effective for young children. There is increasing empirical evidence that programs to successfully address children’s learning needs must be comprehensive, span multiple years, and target key transition points. Preschool to Third Grade (PK-3) programs attempt to incorporate
Co-constructing the transition to school: reframing the “novice” versus “expert” roles of children, parents, and teachers from a cultural perspective
, 2007
"... process, children also must learn to negotiate which attitudes and behavior habits are most adaptive to the school culture (Beery, 1984). School represents one of the first formal set-tings in which children are faced with new ideas and ways of doing things. Although this process may appear unilater ..."
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process, children also must learn to negotiate which attitudes and behavior habits are most adaptive to the school culture (Beery, 1984). School represents one of the first formal set-tings in which children are faced with new ideas and ways of doing things. Although this process may appear unilateral, sociocultural factors such as race/ethnicity,1 region of origin, and social class play important parts in shaping how the transition to school is perceived, how children are prepared for it, and how easily the transition is made (Doucet, 2000; Swick, Brown, & Boutte, 1994). This chapter presents the argument that the transition to We wish to thank all the participants (particularly the children) who so generously gave their time. We also
Early ethnic educational inequality: the influence of duration of preschool attendance and social composition
- European Sociological Review
, 2008
"... Ethnic inequality in education is a well-established topic among the scientific community. We assume that ethnic inequality is constituted early in life—before a child has even started school. Differences between natives and immigrants with regard to preschool attendance (if, when, and which prescho ..."
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Ethnic inequality in education is a well-established topic among the scientific community. We assume that ethnic inequality is constituted early in life—before a child has even started school. Differences between natives and immigrants with regard to preschool attendance (if, when, and which preschool is attended) may account for some of the ethnic educational inequality upon entering school. We use the school entrance examination data of the City of Osnabrück (Germany) for the years 2000–2005 to analyse the school readiness of 6- to 7-year-old children as an indicator of early school success. It is apparent that the amount of preschool experience improves school readiness, even when controlling for family background. While this is true for all children, immigrant children nonetheless exhibit lower scores on school readiness when all these individual explaining factors are controlled for. Multilevel analysis shows that the ethnic effect differs among preschools. A preschool’s influence depends on its social composition: preschools with a beneficial social composition are better able to promote children’s development than those with a poorer learning context. Immigrant children benefit particularly from longer attendance at preschools with a positive context.
Early reading achievement of children in immigrant families: Is there an immigrant paradox
- Developmental Psychology
, 2008
"... This article examines whether longitudinal reading trajectories vary by the generational status of immigrant children as they begin formal schooling through the 3rd grade. The results of the hierarchical linear model indicated that 1st and 2nd generation children (i.e., those born in a foreign coun ..."
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This article examines whether longitudinal reading trajectories vary by the generational status of immigrant children as they begin formal schooling through the 3rd grade. The results of the hierarchical linear model indicated that 1st and 2nd generation children (i.e., those born in a foreign country and those born in the United States to foreign-born parents, respectively) had higher achievement scores at the spring of kindergarten than did 3rd generation children. Yet, controlling for race/ethnicity and maternal education fully reduced the 1st generation advantage. In addition, 1st generation children grew in reading achievement at a faster rate than did 3rd generation children. Controlling for a host of proximal and distal factors that included demographic, race/ethnic, family, and school characteristics somewhat reduced the association between generational status and rate of growth. First and 2nd generation children continued to increase their reading scores at a faster rate than did 3rd generation children. It is likely that additional factors not measured in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Kindergarten cohort, such as selection, cultural, or motivational factors, would be useful in further explaining the immigrant advantage.
Poverty, Race, and Parental Involvement During the Transition to Elementary School
"... Using multilevel models of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (N = 20,356), the authors find that parental involvement in education partially mediates the association between family poverty and children’s math and reading achievement in kindergarten, but differences ..."
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Using multilevel models of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (N = 20,356), the authors find that parental involvement in education partially mediates the association between family poverty and children’s math and reading achievement in kindergarten, but differences exist across race. In Asian families, poor and nonpoor children have similar levels of achievement. Poverty is not related to Black children’s participation in organized activities, but these activities are not associated with Black children’s achievement. Home-learning activities predict reading achievement in Hispanic families only. The findings provide support for applica-tion of the family process model to educational outcomes during the transition to elementary school and underscore the need to examine developmental models across racial subsets of the population.
Chapter 12 INTERPRETING THE EVIDENCE ON LIFE CYCLE SKILL FORMATION
"... 2. A summary of the empirical evidence on life cycle skill formation 709 ..."
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2. A summary of the empirical evidence on life cycle skill formation 709
A More Appropriate Determination of the Effectiveness of a Prekindergarten Initiative
- Development Group, University of Hawaii
, 2008
"... Abstract Although many have praised the High/Scope Perry Preschool studies for their alleged revelations about long-term effects of formal preschool, we seriously doubt that a study started 45 years ago strongly applies today, and we are disturbed by the devastating fate of the control group. We al ..."
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Abstract Although many have praised the High/Scope Perry Preschool studies for their alleged revelations about long-term effects of formal preschool, we seriously doubt that a study started 45 years ago strongly applies today, and we are disturbed by the devastating fate of the control group. We also noted other types of inappropriateness in published studies on the effects of prekindergarten early childhood education. We accordingly designed and implemented an evaluation (of a prekindergarten initiative in Hawai'i) that (a) accommodated the project's allowing all children to participate in the main treatment if their family chose to enroll, (b) focused on nonformal/non-center-based preschool, (c) instead of using standardized achievement tests, used a data-collection instrument designed to specifically measure children's readiness for kindergarten, (d) regarded participant feedback as primary evaluation data, (e) analyzed the data using effect size rather than statistical significance, and (f) ensured cultural appropriateness. Numerous effect-size analyses yielded the clear finding that SPARK-HI children outperformed non-SPARK-HI children on all 6 domains of the Hawai'i State School Readiness Assessment. SPARK-HI children with some ECE experiences outperformed SPARK-HI children without any ECE experience; SPARK-HI girls with ECE experiences exhibited a large effectsize advantage in mathematics over SPARK-HI girls without ECE experiences. Despite our not having random assignment to treatment and our not having standardized achievement test data, we assert that our study is a compelling, valid evaluation of a preschool initiative. More importantly, our evaluation did not violate the ethical standards of the profession and the ethical and cultural standards of the community. Appropriate ECE Evaluation 3 Background
