Effective Preschool: What Research Tells Us

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Effective Preschool What Research Tells Us

• NYSUT Ending the Gap Symposium
• Albany, NY
• October 26, 2007
• Debra J. Ackerman, Ph.D.
• dackerman_at_nieer.org

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Effective Preschool What Research Tells Us

• Preschool is a Good Public Investment
• Program Quality Matters

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Benefit-Cost Analyses of Model Programs
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Perry Preschool Educational Effects
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Perry Economic Effects at Age 27
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Perry Preschool Economic Effects at 40
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Perry Arrests per Person by age 27
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Perry Crime Effects at 40
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Abecedarian Academic Benefits
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Abecedarian Reading Achievement
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Abecedarian Math Achievement
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CPC Academic and Social Benefits at School Exit
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Economic Returns to Pre-K for Disadvantaged
Children (In 2006 dollars, 3 discount rate)

• Cost Benefits B/C
• Perry Pre-K 17,599 284,086 16
• Abecedarian 70,697 176,284 2.5
• Chicago 8,224 83,511 10

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Cognitive Development Gap
Lost Potential Growth
Barnett, W. S. (2007). Original analysis of data
from the US Department of Education, National
Center for Educational Statistics, ECLS-K Base
Year Data files and Electronic Codebook (2002).
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Social Skills Gap
Barnett, W. S. (2007). Original analysis of data
from the US Department of Education, National
Center for Educational Statistics, ECLS-K Base
Year Data files and Electronic Codebook (2002).
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Middle Class Issues

• Income Retention Dropout
• Lowest 20 17 23
• 20-80 12 11
• Highest 20 8 3

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Oklahoma 4th Grade NAEP Scores Before and After
Pre-K for All
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New Jersey 4th Grade NAEP Scores Before and After
Pre-K
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Georgia 4th Grade Reading NAEP Scores Before and
After Pre-K
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Georgia 4th Grade Math NAEP Scores Before and
After Pre-K
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Quality Matters

• Well-educated, adequately paid teachers
• Good curriculum and professional development
• Small classes and reasonable teacherchild ratios
  
• Strong supervision, monitoring, and review
• High standards and accountability

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Effective Classrooms

• Interest areas
• Balanced initiation
• Functional skills, concepts and problem-solving
• Thought-provoking and divergent questions
• Specific content-related comments
• Peer to peer learning
• Identify and cope with feelings
• Social problem-solving

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Conclusions

• Pre-K can be a strong public investment
• Start with the most disadvantaged, but dont stop
  
• Only high quality programs produce large gains
• All auspices can provide quality
• Set and support high standards of practice