Policy Research

A Randomized Control Trial of a Statewide Voluntary Prekindergarten Program on Children Skills and Behaviors through Third Grade

Mark W. Lipsey, Dale C. Farran, Kerry G. Hofer

Summary

This experiment evaluates the effect of Tennessee’s voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program (hereafter “pre-k”). Children applying to the pre-k program were were randomly accepted or denied. The control group consisted only of children who applied, but were not admitted to the program. Students were evaluated based on two groups of outcomes: cognitive (literacy, language, and math), and non-cognitive (social behavior, work-related skills, enjoyment of school, and so on). At the end of the pre-k program, children scored significantly higher on all 6 cognitive tests. Teachers rated those students who had been through pre-k as better prepared and as having better learning behavior. After kindergarten, the control group had caught up to the pre-k group and no significant differences existed. Finally, in second grade significant differences were again found, however it was the group of children that had gone through pre-k that were scoring significant lower on most measures. Additionally, teachers rated students who had been through the pre-k program as less prepared, and as having poorer work skills.

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Policy Implications

While short-term, Pre-Kindergarten programs show promising results, the data shows that long-term, children who have not gone through the program catch up, and may even surpass pre-k children. This suggests that pre-k programs, in their current design at least, are not accomplishing the goals they are meant to.