The Short- and Long-Term Effects of Early Childhood Education in Reducing Child Math Achievement Gaps: An Application of Generalized Propensity Score Methods in Approximating Factorial Experiments

• In Event: 31.091 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 31.091-13 - Evaluating P–12 Programs and Strategies

Abstract

Educational interventions like Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs, such as center-based pre-kindergarten, child care, or Head Start, were expected to reduce achievement gaps. However, there is evidence showing that the effect of ECE on overall academic achievement is mixed. Furthermore, scarce amount of research exist regarding differantial effectiviness of ECE programs in reducing achievement gaps among race/ethnicity subgroups. This study aims to address two research questions: Are there short- and long-term differential effects in reducing math achievement gaps regarding race/ethnicity among ECE programs at kindergarten, grades 3, 5, and 8? We will employ a rigourous quasi-experimental method - casual moderation analysis through generalized propsenity score technique to analyze the ECLS-K data.

Authors

• Nianbo Dong, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Metin Bulus, University of Pennsylvania