What policy makers should know about Pre-K effectiveness

Steve Barnett, PhD848-932-4350sbarnett@nieer.org

Potential Gains from Pre-K InvestmentsEducational , Social and Economic Success Achievement test scores Special education and grade repetition High school graduation Behavior problems, delinquency, and crime Employment, earnings, and welfare dependency Smoking, drug use, and even healthDecreased Costs to Government Schooling costs Social services costs Crime costs Health care costs (teen pregnancy and smoking)

Looking at all the evidence: Cognitive gains from ECE in the US (123 studies since 1960)

Treatment End Ages 5-10 Age >100

0.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

1

All Designs HQ Designs HQ Programs

Age at Follow-UpNote: 1 sd = achievement gap, so high quality preschool could

close nearly half the achievement gap

Effec

ts (s

d)

What do we learn from research?

1. High quality early care and education can has long-term academic, social, and economic benefits

2. Cognitive effects are positive and on average persist through the school years

3. High quality programs emphasizing education have larger effects:

– Intentional teaching– Individualization & small groups– Requires strong teachers adequately supported

4. Large short-term gains needed for long-term gains5. Every year matters: quality early care and education are the

leading edge of school reform

Few children and families have access to high-quality early care and education

• Only 1/3 of centers serving 4 -year-olds are good or better

• Quality of care is lower for younger children• Private programs have lower observed quality

than public--parents cannot discern quality and poor quality drives out good from the market

• The child care subsidy system may actually harm children because standards for quality are so low

Good pre-K least available to most disadvantaged

Little high quality infant-toddler center care in NJ (511 classrooms statewide)

NJ has a proven Pre-K approach • Abbott reforms with high standards and adequate

funding shifted the entire distribution of quality upward• Quality improved in public and private providers• Test scores increased through at least 5th grade• 2 years starting at age 3 doubled test score gains• Grade repetition and special education cut by 1/3• State legislature’s plan to offer this model statewide,

was never implemented• High quality pre-K for all children <200% FPL in NJ would

decrease costs of education by $850 million per year

NJ Effects on Retention & Special Education at Grade 5

Retention Special edcuation0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%20%

12% 12%

19%17%

Abbott pre-K no Abbott pre-K

Takeaway Lessons1. High quality early care and education (ECE) benefits childen,

families, and taxpayers2. Most children do not attend good programs and some are in

harmful ECE 3. We know how to do better and NJ has a successful model for

producing high quality 4. In the long-term the state will pay less each year for education

if it invests in quality pre-K 5. Expanding quality pre-K will lower state costs of education in

the long-term while improving outcomes6. Every year matters for learning and development

– K-12 reform and realignment can be driven by pre-K– Build infant and toddler care quality together with pre-K