Effects of NC Pre-K Enrollments in Elementary Schools on Teacher Satisfaction and Retention

• In Event: Rethinking Teacher Education Policy and Its Impact on Student Learning

Abstract

Prior research has found that access to North Carolina’s preschool program (NC Pre-K) is associated with significant academic gains for both participating and non-participant children. This study examines one of the mechanisms through which the program may have generated these gains: improvements in the teaching environments of the elementary schools in which NC Pre-K graduates enroll. We analyze teacher outcomes longitudinally over the period 2001-2018, for all full-time teachers in traditional NC elementary schools. We find that increased presence of NC Pre-K students in schools was positively associated with both improved teacher satisfaction and teacher retention. The findings suggest that improvements in these outcomes for teachers may contribute to extending the benefits of high-quality preschool to all elementary school students.

Authors

• Clara G. Muschkin, Duke University
  Presenting Author

• Helen F. Ladd, Duke University
  Presenting Author

• Maria Sauval, University of California - Irvine
  Presenting Author