Does universal preschool lead to better academic outcomes?

Several states, including Georgia, offer state-funded pre-kindergarten programs to students regardless of their family’s income. New research in Economic Inquiry investigates whether such programs offer long-lasting academic benefits to all students.

Using enrollment lottery data from a large school district in metro Atlanta, investigators found that lottery-winning enrollees of school-based pre-kindergarten entered kindergarten more prepared in both math and reading than non-winning peers. Gains tended to fade by the end of kindergarten, however, and some negative achievement effects emerged by grade 4.

Students receiving free-and-reduced-price meals at school seemed to benefit more than other students in grades 1, 2, and 4, suggesting greater benefits from attendance for disadvantaged students. No effects were found regarding discipline while enrollees had one fewer absence each grade after kindergarten.

“Our research shows that Georgia’s Pre-K program gives children a strong start, but the challenge is maintaining those early advantages,” said corresponding author Ishtiaque Fazlul, PhD, of the University of Georgia. “This study reinforces the importance of Pre-K, especially for low-income families, while also showing that we need to think about how to better support students beyond Pre-K.”

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.13288

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