Benefits of Preschool Education

1
Benefits of Preschool Education

• W. Steven Barnett, Director
• National Institute for Early Education Research
• RutgersThe State University of New Jersey
• For further information go to our website
• www.nieer.org

2
Preschools Benefits

• Increased Achievement Test Scores
• Improved Behavior and Attitudes
• Decreased Grade Retention
• Decreased Special Education
• Decreased Crime Delinquency
• Increased High School Graduation

3
Three Exemplary Studies

• High/Scope Perry Preschool a half-day program on
  a small scale in the Ypsilanti, MI public schools
  
• True Experiment, n123, follow-up to age 27
• Abecedarian educational child care a full-day
  year-round program in Chapel Hill, NC
• True Experiment, n111, follow-up to age 21
• Chicago-Child Parent Centers (CPC) a half-day
  program on a large scale in the Chicago public
  schools
• Quasi-Experimental, n1286, follow-up to age
  18-21

4
Perry Preschool IQ Over Time
5
Perry Preschool Educational Effects
6
Perry Arrests Per Person by Age 27
7
Perry Economic Benefits at Age 27
8
Abecedarian IQ Scores Over Time
9
Abecedarian Reading Ach. Over Time
10
Abecedarian Math Achievement Over Time
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Abecedarian Academic Benefits
12
Abecedarian Benefits to Mothers and Children
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CPC Academic Benefits
14
CPC Social Benefits
15
Perry Economic Return to the Public(excludes
20,000 in economic benefits to participants)
16
Abecedarian Economic Return
17
CPC Economic Return
18
Cost Benefit Analysis of Preschool for
Disadvantaged Children

• Cost Benefit to Society
• Perry Preschool 12,000 108,000
• Abecedarian 35,864 136,000
• CPC 7,000 48,000
• All three studies find that economic benefits
  from intensive, high-quality programs to
  taxpayers and participants combined far exceed
  the cost of high-quality programs (comparable to
  the cost of public education generally).

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Education Challenges

• Many Children Start School with Significant
  Academic Disadvantages
• Many Social and Emotional Problems Are Evident
  Prior to School Entry
• High School Graduation Declined 40 Years
• College Graduation Rate Flat for 25 Years

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Middle Class Children At Risk Too

• Middle class children have fairly high rates of
  academic problems preschool reduces for
  low-income children.
• Reducing these problems could generate large
  benefits.
• Income Retention Dropout
• Lowest 20 17 23
• 20-80 12 11
• Highest 20 8 3
• SourceUS Department of Education, NCES (1997).
  Dropout rates in the United States 1995.
  Figures are multi-year averages.

21
Most Children Attend Preschool
22
Preschool Attendance by Mothers Education
23
Preschool Classroom Quality is Too Low
Excellent
Good
Minimal
24
Child Care Teacher Literacy is Low
25
Conclusions

• Preschool produces cognitive and social emotional
  gains for children (at least disadvantaged)
• Quality preschool education can be a good
  economic investment
• Most 3-4 year old children already attend some
  type of classroom
• Access and quality must be improved if society is
  to obtain the returns