Estimating the Relationship Between Preschool Attendance and Kindergarten Science Achievement: Implications for Early Achievement Gaps

• In Event: 16.060 - Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: 16.060-5 - Starting Out Right: The Impacts of Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Evidence demonstrates racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in science achievement in the earliest grades of school. This study examines the degree to which preschool participation may improve science achievement overall and reduce science achievement gaps by race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Utilizing data from the ECLS-K, this study uses school and classroom fixed effects models with a robust set of controls to estimate the relationship between preschool attendance and early science achievement. Results suggest that attending center-based preschool is predictive of higher science achievement and teacher rated science ability in kindergarten. The relationship is not found to differ by subgroup though results demonstrate that disadvantaged groups are less likely to attend center-based preschool. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Author

• Chris Curran, University of Maryland - Baltimore County