Ready for School? Persistence and Fadeout of Preschool Effects in the Global South

Group Submission Type: Panel Session

Proposal

Relevance:
The adoption of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals marked a new milestone for early childhood education, care and development (ECECD). For the first time in the framework of global goals, ECECD is described as integral to children’s school readiness, as evidenced in Goal 4.2.: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.” Yet with few exceptions, much of the research on the impact of preschool stems from Global North countries. Even fewer studies have examined preschool and later learning across multiple countries. This panel seeks to remap what we know about the effects of preschool participation on later learning in the Global South by drawing on four studies which collectively rely on data from twenty Global South countries.

Theory/Context:
With the focus on early learning expanding around the world, preschool participation has also increased, with global gross enrollment rising from 31% in 2000 to 49% in 2015 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2016). As more countries begin to expand their early education programs, more research is being conducted to better understand the impact of preschool participation on student outcomes. Of particular interest is whether the impact of these investments, including cognitive and non-cognitive effects, persist or fade out over time. In the United States, the Perry Preschool and the Abcedarian project have found inconsistent results when regard to sustained impact on cognitive skills. One possible explanation for why the cognitive effects of preschool may “fade out” is related to the quality of the schools that students attend as young children and adolescents. Internationally, studies suggest that attending a preprimary school or program is associated with better reading and math skills. Other studies have shown that preschool leads to more consistent progression into later grades. Similar to the studies in Global North countries, several studies in Global South countries also found higher gains among children with low socioeconomic status.

Methods/Findings:
Four presentations, each utilizing a different methodological approach to data collection and analysis, will explore the relationship between preschool participation and later learning skills. See the methods/findings sections for each of the presentations for more information.

Contribution:
The panel relies on several papers in progress that examine whether preschool participation effects persist or fade out once children are in primary school. Given the increased attention to preprimary and early childhood investments following the adoption of the SDGs, there is an urgent need for more research from the Global South on the ability of preschool to both boost individual student level learning at the start of primary as well as improve the efficiency and effectiveness of classroom instruction in primary and beyond. The papers discussed as part of this panel seek to contribute to filling this gap.

Sub Unit

• SIG: Early Childhood Development

Chair

• Amber K. Gove, RTI International

Individual Presentations

• Preschool education in Zanzibar, Tanzania: More than just “child’s play” - Emily Morris, University of Minnesota

• Persistence of pre-primary program effects in Kenya: Evaluating how Tayari’s program impacts change over time and into primary school - Salome Ong'ele, RTI International; Benjamin Piper, RTI International

• Pre-primary and reading outcomes: Evidence from two Central Asian countries - Paul Sirma, AIR; Marcia R. Davidson, American Institutes for Research

• Persistence and fadeout of preschool participation effects on early reading skills in low- and middle-income countries - Amber K. Gove, RTI International; Eileen Dombrowski, RTI International; Jennifer K. Pressley, RTI International; Tara Weatherholt, RTI International