A Commitment to Improving

1
(No Transcript)
2

• A Commitment to Improving
• K-12 Educational Achievement
• Begins in the First 5 Years of Life

Ramey Ramey, 2000
3

• Synaptogenesis by Brain Region

Adapted from Huttenlocher in Ramey Ramey Right
from Birth (1999)
4
Seven Essential Transactions ForCaregivers with
Young Children

• Encourage exploration
• Mentor in basic skills
• Celebrate developmental advances
• Rehearse and extend new skills
• Protect from inappropriate disapproval,
• teasing, and punishment
• Communicate richly and responsively
• Guide and limit behavior

Ramey Ramey, 1999 Right from Birth
5
Effects of Mothers Speech on Infant Vocabulary
Huttenlocher et al, Developmental Psychology,
(1991)
6
Evidence-based Skillsfor Learning to Read

• Oral Language Comprehension
• Phonological Awareness
• Letter Name Knowledge
• Concepts about Print

Neuman and Dickinson, Handbook of Early Literacy
Research, 2001
7

• The Impact of Early Environments
• on Childrens Developmental Competence

8
The Importance of Good Schools and Summer Programs
9

• It is the totality of a childs
• experience that lays the
• foundation for a lifetime of
• greater or lesser competency.

Ramey Ramey, 2000
10
Key Research Question for Abecedarian (ABC)
Project

• Can the cumulative developmental toll
  experienced by high-risk children
• be prevented or reduced significantly
• by providing systematic, high-quality, early
  childhood education from
• birth through kindergarten entry?

11

• The Abecedarian (ABC) Project is a randomized
  controlled trial (RCT) that tests the efficacy of
  early childhood education for high-risk children
  and their families.

12
Abecedarian Preschool Program

• Control Group _
• Adequate nutrition
• Supportive social services
• Low-cost or free primary
• health care

• Treatment Group _
• Adequate nutrition
• Supportive social services
• Free primary health care
• Preschool treatment
• Intensive (full day, 5 days/week,
• 50 weeks/year, 5 years)
• Learningames Curriculum
• Cognitive / Fine Motor
• Social / Self
• Motor
• Language
• Individualized pace

Campbell Ramey, 1995 American Educational
Research Journal
13
Preschool Results(Birth to 5)
14
Z Scores and Mean Standardized Scores for
High-Risk Preschool Treatment and
ControlChildren in the Abecedarian Project at
Nine Preschool Measurement Occasions
Ramey et al, 2000 Applied Developmental Science
15
Percent of Abecedarian Sample in Normal IQ Range
(gt84) by Age (longitudinal analysis)
Martin, Ramey, Ramey, 1990 American Journal of
Public Health
16
Verbal Scale Scores (McCarthy)for Abecedarian
(ABC) Project
Ramey Campbell, 1979 American Journal of Mental
Deficiency
17
Active Mother-Child Involvement (such as talking,
touching, playing with toys/game, reading)
Farran Ramey, 1980 Child Development
18
Abecedarian Project Post-High School Education
for Teen Mothers
Ramey et al, 2000 Applied Developmental Science
19
Abecedarian (ABC) Preschool Findings Replicated
in theFirst 3 Years of Life in Randomized
Controlled Trials (RCTs)

• Arkansas
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Massachusetts
• New York

North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Washington
Ramey Ramey, 2000 in Securing the Future
20
Infant Health and Development ProgramMaternal
Education X Treatment Group
Ramey Ramey, 1998 Preventive Medicine
21
School Results
22
Reading Achievement Over Time
Campbell Ramey, 2001 Developmental Psychology
23
Math Achievement Over Time
Campbell Ramey, 2001 Developmental Psychology
24
Abecedarian Project
Ramey Ramey, 1999 MR/DD Research Review
25
Early Adult Results
26
Percent in Skilled Job or Higher Education
Campbell, Ramey, et al, 2002 Applied
Developmental Science
27
Age at Birth of First Child
Campbell, Ramey, et al, 2002 Applied
Developmental Science
28
Key Findings from Abecedarian Project(Abecedaria
n one who learnsthe basics such as the
alphabet)

• 18 Months to 21 Years Old

• Intelligence (IQ)
• Reading and math skills
• Academic locus-of-control
• Social Competence
• Years in school,
• including college
• Full-time employment

• Grade Repetition
• Special Education
• placement
• Teen Pregnancies
• Smoking and drug
• use

Plus benefits to mothers of these children
(education, employment)
Ramey et al, 2000
29
Why Some Well-Intended Preschool ProgramsHave
Failed to Close the Achievement Gap

• Poorly prepared teachers
• Educational programs not intensive enough
• Remedial rather than preventive focus
• No direct teaching of important cognitive and
• linguistic concepts, vocabulary
• Redundant or poorly coordinated family and
• early childhood services

30
Recommendations

• Provide strong leadership for a comprehensive
• early childhood educational initiative that is
  linked
• explicitly to K-12 learning and achievement
• targeted for high risk children
• grounded in scientific evidence
• builds upon existing resources

31
Recommendations

• Combine funding streams, promote innovative
• partnerships, and strengthen existing programs
  that
• serve children from prenatal care through age 5
• offer strong incentives for collaboration
• eliminate duplicative and ineffective programs
• link future funding to performance

32
Sources of Available EarlyChildhood Education
Funding include

• Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• Title I Disadvantaged Children
• Title IV 21st Century School After School
• Title V Innovative Block Grant
• Early Head Start
• Head Start
• Child Care Development Fund (CCDF)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Early Reading First
• Social Services Block Grant
• Even Start
• Early Intervention (0-2 yrs 3-5 yrs)

33
Recommendations

• Design and implement a strong accountability
• system that continuously monitors program quality
  
• and documents child progress and outcomes
• To inform quality improvements
• To strengthen training and technical assistance
• To reward performance

34
The future for our nations children

• Positive educational outcomes can be achieved for
  all children during pre-K years and beyond
• Benefits include much more than just reading
• Reading success is a key, because of strong
  linkages to all learning and social adjustment
• Strategic investments yield substantial social
  and fiscal benefits to society (at least 1-to-4
  costbenefit ratio)

35
For free copies of this PowerPoint
presentation,please download from our website
http//che.georgetown.eduor contactDrs. Craig
and Sharon RameyGeorgetown Center on Health and
EducationGeorgetown University (202)
687-2874email ctr5_at_georgetown.edusr222_at_georgeto
wn.edu
36
(No Transcript)