The effects of Wisconsin’s universal pre-kindergarten program on the third-grade academic achievement (Poster 29)

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Many states and communities have invested in public early childhood education programs to improve children’s readiness to enter school and to narrow achievement gaps in later grades. The current study analyzes the extent to which Wisconsin’s universal state-funded pre-kindergarten (pre-K) program, Wisconsin 4K, has improved student achievement and contributed to reducing the racial and economic achievement gap. Using publicly available administrative data from 2002-03 through 2017-18, this paper finds that Wisconsin 4K, which features high participation rates and mostly half-day modes of delivery, has positively impacted 3rd-grade reading achievement, but not math in participating districts. The effects on reading were more significant for non-white and economically disadvantaged students than more-affluent counterparts. Implications related to various state pre-K programs were discussed.

Author

• Hyunwoo Yang, University of Hong Kong