Key Findings and Lessons Learned From a Long-Term Research-Policy Collaboration: Evaluation of the North Carolina Pre-K Program

• In Event: 28.064 - Translating Research to Policy: How Researchers Are Successfully Influencing Early Learning Programs in Three States

Abstract

Purpose: North Carolina is among 11 states with the highest child poverty rates, yet regionally adjusted per pupil expenditures for K-12 students consistently are about 25% below the national average (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2018). In contrast, state-allocated resources for pre-k. including the state NC Pre-K Program, are consistently high (Friedman-Krauss et al., 2018). NC Pre-K is a classroom-based, targeted pre-k program for 4-year-olds from low-income families. For nearly 2 decades, researchers at the FPG Child Development Institute have conducted a systematic, multi-method program of evaluation research on NC Pre-K. This presentation will summarize key findings and discuss ways for ensuring that the methodological approaches and dissemination strategies used are relevant both for program accountability and program improvement.

Perspective, methods, and data sources: The annual evaluation studies have been guided by an ecological perspective which recognizes that a variety of home and school contexts and factors influence children’s development and learning (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006; Sameroff, 2009). The studies have been designed collaboratively with the state administrative agency, and driven by the needs of policymakers for program evaluation and improvement. Mixed methods have been used to address key research questions related to program characteristics and quality, outcomes for children, and factors associated with better outcomes. A variety of data sources have been utilized, including classroom observations, child assessments (in both English and Spanish), surveys and interviews with teachers and administrators, family surveys, and statewide administrative and educational data.

Findings and significance: The results have provided information that state policymakers, as well as local administrators, have used for gauging program effectiveness and implementing quality improvement strategies. For example, as the program has scaled up, classroom quality has remained in the medium to high range, although there have been specific areas recommended for professional development based on the results (Peisner-Feinberg, Van Manen & Mokrova, 2018). Another finding has been significant improvements in teacher licensure and education, which has been a key focus of quality improvement (Peisner-Feinberg et al., 2018).

Several studies have found positive effects on children’s learning, both during pre-k and longer-term into elementary school. For example, children from low-income families who attended NC Pre-K scored higher on third-grade state reading and math assessments than non-attenders (Peisner-Feinberg & Schaaf, 2010). Another study found that children who attended NC Pre-K had better math and executive function skills at the end of kindergarten than a similar propensity-score matched group of non-attenders (Peisner-Feinberg, Mokrova, & Anderson, 2017). Based on a regression discontinuity design study, children had better language, literacy, and math skills following participation in NC Pre-K compared to those who had not participated (Peisner-Feinberg & Schaaf, 2011). In addition, results consistently have shown similar or greater benefits from participation in NC Pre-K for dual language learners and children with lower language proficiency (Peisner-Feinberg, Schaaf, Hildebrandt, Pan & Warnaar, 2015). The presentation will discuss how these studies have offered evidence of program effectiveness, as well as helped inform policies to define teaching and learning in Pre-K and beyond in NC.

Author

• Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill