Does High-Quality Public Pre-K Influence Academic Gains? Examining Program Quality and Treatment Effects in Tulsa

• In Event: Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Head Start and Pre-Kindergarten Issues

Abstract

Funding for state pre-k programs has expanded enormously in recent years; in 2012, nearly one-third of the nation’s 4-year olds attended state-funded pre-k. Much of this expansion is based on studies finding positive average treatment effects of state pre-k programs on children’s developmental outcomes. However, little is known about what might explain variation in these treatment impacts. The current study investigates the role of program quality in explaining variation in cognitive gains resulting from participation in a state pre-k program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Evidence from hierarchical linear models suggests that school level instructional support accounts for variation in treatment impacts. These findings suggest that key aspects of school quality may be vital for public pre-k’s promotion of children’s cognitive development.

Authors

• Anna Duncan Johnson, Columbia University

• Anna J Markowitz, Georgetown University

• Carolyn Hill, Georgetown Public Policy Institute

• Deborah A Phillips, Georgetown University