When taking pre-k programs on their face it is difficult to see an problem with them. The idea of increasing school enrollment at no cost to families seems like a great program to implement. The questions arises however, about their effectiveness and whether or not there is any benefit to pre-k over other forms of childcare at that age. Multiple studies have been made tracking the efficiency of these programs and their impacts on child learning over time. In this post we will look at two of these studies and consider what their conclusions posit.

First we look at what is perhaps the most famous study regarding pre-k and early childhood education, The Abecedarian Project. Following children born in the early to mid 70’s, the project tracked academic performance and other measures at ages 12, 15, 21, 30, and 35. This makes it the longest running study of its type to examine the effects of early education on children. Specifically, the project sought to determine if positive effects could be found on children in poverty and if providing an early education would in turn have a positive effect. Overall the project has become know for espousing the positive, long term effects of early childhood education. The standard to which a child was measured was their academic performance, employment, and if they were considered self supporting. A detailed TED talk regarding the project and its successes can be found here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXf3CCyhLGU

Second is a recent study out of Boston released in November of last year. This study found there to be a boost in college attendance, SAT, and other test scores. The program was based around children in the late 90’s so the data set was limited to children reaching high school. The test pulled large amounts of data from the school record systems to determine their findings. While attempting to discover the effects of pre-k programs they looked at enrollment records as well as disciplinary records. Across all metrics there was improvement over the control groups of children that did not enter into a pre-k program. Similar to the Abecedarian Project, the Boston school system supported a largely Black population who made up nearly 50% of participants. This study gained a great deal of attention for it’s size and scope, especially as President Biden seeks to expand pre-k funding nationally. The New York Times ran a feature on the study which can be found below.

/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/briefing/universal-pre-k-biden-agenda.html