Author: Kevin Patrick DieterlePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Early childhood education
Languages : en
Pages : 120
Book Description
While K-12 education is available universally across the United States, educational offerings for children prior to kindergarten entry are far more fragmented. States offer a wide variety of program structures: while some states do not offer any state-funded preschool programs, others offer programs exclusively for particular ages or risk groups (e.g., only four-year-olds, children from low-income families) and several offer universal pre-kindergarten with no entry restrictions (either to four-year-olds only or both three- and four-year-olds). As a result, a far lesser percentage of three- and four-year-olds are enrolled in formal early education programs compared to children in K-12 educational programs. Current research shows mixed evidence on the effectiveness of early education programs on later academic outcomes. This study pools longitudinal state level data on state-funded preschool programs and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores in math and reading in fourth grade. Additionally, this study uses fixed effects regression models to examine the impact of state-funded preschool programs and program quality for three- and four-year-olds on NAEP scores in math and reading in fourth grade, several years following initial enrollment in state-funded preschool programs. This analysis finds that while programs serving four-year-olds alone did not have higher standardized test scores, the availability of a state-funded preschool program for three-year-olds was associated with significantly higher test scores in both reading and mathematics.