Early Childhood Programs: Lasting Benefits and Large Returns Camden. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Early Childhood Programs: Lasting Benefits and Large Returns

Milagros Nores, PhD Steve Barnett, PhD

• Camden. October 30, 2015.

Potential Gains from ECEC Investments

Educational Success and Economic Productivity

• Achievement test scores
• Special education and grade repetition
• High school graduation
• Behavior problems, delinquency, and crime
• Employment, earnings, and welfare dependency
• Smoking, drug use, depression

Decreased Costs to Government

• Schooling costs
• Social services costs
• Crime costs
• Health care costs (teen pregnancy and smoking)

What does all the evidence say: Cognitive gains from 0-5 ECE in the US (123 studies since 1960)

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 Treatment End Ages 5-10 Age >10 Effects (sd) Age at Follow-Up Note: 1 sd = achievement gap, so High Quality preschool closes nearly half the achievement gap All Designs HQ Programs

What do we know from the US meta-analyses?

• 1. Cognitive effects are positive and shrink after children

enter school but do not disappear.

• 2. Higher quality programs have bigger effects, those

with:

– Intentional teaching – Individualization & small groups – Less emphasis on comprehensive services (Head Start is less effective for cognitive gains)

• 3. Effects on socialization and school success also persist
• 4. Larger short-term gains likely to produce larger long-

term gains

Abecedarian Chicago High/Scope (Perry) Year began

1972 1985 1962

Location

Chapel Hill, NC Chicago, IL Ypsilanti, MI

Sample size

111 1,539 123

Design

RCT Matched neighborhood RCT

Ages

6 wks-age 5 Ages 3-4 Ages 3-4

Program schedule

Full-day, year round Half-day, school year Half-day, school year

Barnett, W. S., & Masse, L. N. (2007). Early childhood program design and economic returns: Comparative benefit-cost analysis of the Abecedarian program and policy implications, Economics of Education Review, 26, 113-125; Temple, J. A., & Reynolds, A. J. (2007). Benefits and costs of investments in preschool education: Evidence from the Child-Parent Centers and related programs. Economics of Education Review, 26(1), 126-144; Schweinhart, L. J., Montie, J., Xiang, Z., Barnett, W. S., Belfield, C. R., & Nores, M. (2005). Lifetime effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool study through age 40 (Monographs of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 14). Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.

In-depth look: The Big Three

High/Scope Perry Preschool: Educational Effects

45% 15% 34% 66% 49% 15% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Graduated from high school on time Age 14 achievement at 10th %ile + Special Education (Cog.) Program group No-program group

Berrueta-Clement, J.R., Schweinhart, L.J., Barnett, W.S., Epstein, A.S., & Weikart, D.P. (1984). Changed lives: The effects of the Perry Preschool Program on youths through age 19. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.

Perry Preschool: Economic Effects at 40

50% 62% 40% 76% 76% 60% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Had Savings Account Employed Earned > $20K Program group No-program group

Schweinhart, L. J., Montie, J., Xiang, Z., Barnett, W. S., Belfield, C. R., & Nores, M. (2005). Lifetime effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool study through age 40 (Monographs of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 14). Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.

Perry Preschool: Crime Effects at 40

34% 48% 55% 14% 33% 36% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Drug Crime Violent Crime Arrested > 5X Program group No-program group

Schweinhart, L. J., Montie, J., Xiang, Z., Barnett, W. S., Belfield, C. R., & Nores, M. (2005). Lifetime effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool study through age 40 (Monographs of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 14). Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.

Abecedarian : Academic Benefits

13% 51% 65% 49% 36% 67% 34% 31% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

4 Yr College HS Graduation Grade Repeater Special Education Program group No-program group

Barnett, W. S., & Masse, L. N. (2007). Early childhood program design and economic returns: Comparative benefit-cost analysis of the Abecedarian program and policy implications, Economics of Education Review, 26, 113-125; Campbell, F.A., Ramey, C.T., Pungello, E., Sparling, J., & Miller-Johnson, S. ( 2002). Early childhood education: Young adult outcomes from the Abecedarian Project. Applied Developmental Science, 6(1), 42-57.

Chicago CPC: Academic and Social Benefits at School Exit

25% 38% 25% 39% 17% 23% 14% 50% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Juvenile Arrest Grade Repeater Special Education HS Graduation Program group No-program group

Temple, J. A., & Reynolds, A. J. (2007). Benefits and costs of investments in preschool education: Evidence from the Child-Parent Centers and related programs. Economics of Education Review, 26(1), 126-144

In depth look: NJ Abbott, NJ’s Urban Pre-K Transformation

• Teacher with BA & ECE + asst. in each class;
• Full-day (6 hour educational day), 180-day

program, plus extended day/full year;

• Access to all 3 and 4 yr. olds in 31 school systems;
• Maximum class size of 15 students;
• Evidence-based curricula;
• Early learning standards and program guidelines;
• Support for potential learning difficulties; and
• Professional development for key staff.

3.9 19.9 34.6 27.7 12.1 1.7 0.0 0.2 4.2 32.2 47.4 16.0 10 20 30 40 50 60 1.00-1.99 2.00-2.99 3.00-3.99 4.00-4.99 5.00-5.99 6.00-7.00

Percentage of Classrooms

ECERS-R Score (1=minimal, 3=poor 5= good 7=excellent) 00 Total (N = 232) 08 Total (N = 407)

NJ Raised Quality in Public and Private

1 Year of NJ Abbott Pre-K: Effects Over Time

0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 KAPPLES1 2APPLES1 4/5APPLES1 PPVT Read Math

2 Years of Abbott Pre-K Effects Over Time

0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 KAPPLES2 2APPLES2 4/5APPLES2 PPVT Read Math

NJ Effects on Achievement Grades 4 and 5

.12 .18 .17 .14 .17 .26 .22 .37 .29 .37

0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 LAL 4th LAL 5th Math 4th Math 5th Science 4 th 1 year Abbott pre-k 2 year Abbott pre-k

NJ Effects on Retention & Special Education at Grade 5

12% 12% 19% 17% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20% Retention Special Education Abbott pre-K No Abbott pre-K

Increased Quality in NJ Pre-K Improved Education Outcomes

• Gains in language, literacy, math
• 2 years have twice the effect of 1
• 2 years closed 40% of the achievement gap
• Effects sustained through 2nd grade
• Grade repetition cut in half by 2nd grade

In depth look: Boston’s Pre-K

• Redirecting existing funds to quality improvement
• Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) universal preK program: rapid

expansion, 2006-2008; BA level teachers paid at K12 scale

• 2008 assessment of observed quality: mediocre levels
• Decision to stop expansion and invest in quality through

developmentally focused curricula + coaching

• Choose evidence-based language and math curricula (OWL

and Building Blocks) for district-wide implementation

• In-classroom coaching supports

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Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013, Child Development

In depth look: Boston’s Pre-K

• Rigorous regression discontinuity design
• 2,018 children included
• 85% of district schools and 70% of students in those schools
• Diverse student population – 11% Asian, 27% Black, 41%

Hispanic, 3% Other, 18% White – Home language: 50% English, 27% Spanish, 22% Other – 69% receive free/reduced lunch, 9% students with disabilities

• Counterfactual: Majority of control group children were

enrolled in other preschool programs

• Studied: What are the causal impacts of BPS preschool on

children’s language, pre-literacy, math, and executive function at the beginning of kindergarten?

Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013, Child Development

Largest effects on language and math of public preschool to date in the US

Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013, Child Development

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0.44*** 0.62*** 0.59*** 0.50***

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

PPVT-III (vocabulary) W-J LW (early reading) W-J AP (numeracy) REMA Short (numeracy, geometry)

effect size

Positive “Spillover” Effects on All Three Dimensions of Executive Function Skills

Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013, Child Development 0.24*** 0.24*** 0.21*** 0.28*** 0.11

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

Backward DS (working memory) Forward Digit Span (working memory) Pencil Tap (inhibitory control) DCCS (inhibitory control) TOQ Attention (att. shifting)

effect size

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Large reductions in societal disparities at school entry

• Subgroups of interest: Free/reduced lunch (poverty

status), race/ethnicity

• Boston Public Schools Preschool program:
• Reduced disparities substantially by class and

race

• Completely eliminated disparities between

Latino and White students in early literacy and math skills.

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Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013, Child Development

Takeaway Lessons

1. High Quality programs have shown persistent effects across various cognitive and behavioral domains. 2. Pre-K varies in initial and long-term effects—can only expect persistent gains from large initial gains, and that requires quality. 3. Proper design, high standards, adequate funding, and evaluation can ensure high cost/benefits 4. Essence of quality is strong individualized teacher-child interaction, especially 1:1 and in small groups. 5. High-quality preschool benefits both low- and middle income children, with substantial effects on both groups, but greater impact on children living in or near poverty and/or DLLs (Tulsa, Boston).

6. ECEC can be a strong public investment: Increased educational

achievement and attainment, Decreased economic and educational inequality and fewer social problems and Job and GDP growth (local and national).