(iPoster) Universal Pre-K and the Poverty Achievement Gap

• In Event: Poster Session: New Perspectives in Political Science Research: Scholarship by Vanderbilt REU Students

Abstract

Academic achievement gaps are a persistent problem in the United States. Consequently, differential outcomes for students of different races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and other demographic factors are frequently studied, as are attempts to make education more equitable. Though analysis of poverty exists within scholarship on the socioeconomic achievement gap, the poverty achievement gap has not received direct attention from many researchers. The existence of literature demonstrating connections between poverty and academic achievement indicates that this gap is worthy of closer study. Drawing from research showing that early childhood experiences correlate with later educational outcomes, I employ data from the Correlates of State Policy Project to analyze the relationship between state implementation of universal pre-k and the standardized test score gap between students eligible and ineligible for free or reduced-price lunch between 1997 and 2014. Analyzing this relationship provides insight on potential avenues to making education more equitable for students in poverty.

Author

• Molly Love, Miami University, Ohio