New Report: Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study

Posted by on August 17, 2009

Preschool works — but New Jersey can’t expand it

As part of its move to address inequalities brought to light in the Abbott v. Burke case, New Jersey established a full-day preschool program to serve all three- and four-year-old children in the Abbott districts during the 1999-2000 school year and beyond. A new study from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University analyzes longitudinal data on the program’s classroom practices from school years 1999-2000 to 2007-08, and finds significant positive impacts. The interim report gives preliminary results from research examining whether learning gains found at the preschool level continued into the children’s matriculation to elementary school. Findings from the first and second grades show that children who attended the Abbott Pre-K program continue to outperform their peers, with positive and significant effects in math and language arts learning, as well as in grade retention. In an editorial, The Press of Atlantic City writes that the study “shows why so many education professionals are such strong proponents of early-childhood education. And the study also shows one of the unfortunate consequences of decades of wasteful spending and fiscal mismanagement in Trenton. Preschool works — and New Jersey can’t afford to expand it anytime soon. How sad.”

Read more: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/opinion/editorials/article_5c8abfda-805d-57f1-a817-7b0359d93646.html

See the report: http://nieer.org/pdf/apples_second_grade_results.pdf