ERIC Number: EJ1227296
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0276-8739
EISSN: N/A
Cost-Effectiveness of Early Childhood Interventions to Enhance Preschool: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Head Start Centers Enrolling Historically Underserved Populations
Knight, David S.; Landry, Susan; Zucker, Tricia A.; Merz, Emily C.; Guttentag, Cathy L.; Taylor, Heather B.
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, v38 n4 p891-917 Fall 2019
We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of two early childhood interventions that use instructional coaching and parent coaching as levers for improvement. The study design allows us to compare the individual effects of each intervention as well as their combined effect on student outcomes. We find that teachers receiving instructional coaching improve their use of evidence-based instructional practices, while families receiving parent coaching show increases in numerous responsive parenting behaviors associated with positive child outcomes. Both interventions demonstrate positive impacts on students, but only parent coaching shows statistically significant effects across a range of student outcomes. Instructional coaching alone is substantially less costly and may therefore be the most cost-effective of the three treatment conditions; however, small sample sizes limit our ability to reach definitive conclusions. Policy simulations suggest that implementing these interventions could raise the overall cost-effectiveness of Head Start by at least 16 percent.
Descriptors: Cost Effectiveness, Early Childhood Education, Educational Policy, Intervention, Parent Child Relationship, Coaching (Performance), Outcomes of Education, Comparative Analysis, Sample Size, Evidence Based Practice, Parenting Skills, Disadvantaged Youth, Preschool Children
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A090212; 1661097; 1740695