A new study of pre-K came out of Tennessee this week that reinforces the need for a federal initiative to support state pre-K programs along the lines proposed by the Obama Administration. No study informs policy on its own, so my purpose here is to look at what the Tennessee study adds to the larger body of research. The research as whole finds that observed preschool program impacts tend to decline after school entry. This is not entirely “fade-out.” It also results from “catch-up,” in part because of compensatory efforts by the schools for children who do not attend preschool.
Please visit National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) for the complete blog post.