ERIC Number: EJ947505
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0885-2006
EISSN: N/A
The Differential Effects of Preschool: Evidence from Virginia
Huang, Francis L.; Invernizzi, Marcia A.; Drake, E. Allison
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v27 n1 p33-45 2012
This study investigated the differential and persistent effects of a state-funded pre-K program, the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI). We analyzed data from a cohort of over 60,000 students nested in approximately 1000 schools from the beginning of kindergarten to the end of first grade using two-level hierarchical logistic regression models. While controlling for student- and school-level variables, we found that attending a VPI-funded program was beneficially associated with a lower likelihood of repeating kindergarten and improved probabilities of meeting or exceeding minimum literacy competencies. The benefits of attending pre-K were greatest upon kindergarten entry and persisted until the end of the first grade for Hispanic and Black students, as well as for students with disabilities, despite VPI-funded program attendees going to schools with higher concentrations of poverty. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Regression (Statistics), Kindergarten, Grade 1, Probability, Preschool Children, Preschool Education, Literacy Education, Minimum Competencies, Hispanic American Students, African American Students, Disabilities, Poverty, Academic Persistence
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Grade 1; Kindergarten; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Virginia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A