Public Prekindergarten Expansion and Student Test Scores: Lasting Cohort Effects

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Impact of Environments on Development (Table 12)

Abstract

Recent pre-K effect studies raised concerns about the rapid convergence of test score outcomes later in the schooling experiences between pre-K attendees and non-attendees. The cohort-level impact of pre-K expansion is not well-understood. This study uses nationwide district-level achievement data matched with pre-K enrollment files to understand the impact of expanded coverage in school-based pre-K programs on cohort-level achievement and achievement gaps. We adopt a two-way fixed effect framework to isolate the changes in district test scores attributable to pre-K coverage variations and employ a series of robustness checks to rule out other potential explanations.

Authors

• Shuyang Wang, The Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GA)

• Walker A. Swain, LPI