The Center for
Public Education
Many Happy Returns:
Why school boards should care
about Pre-K
Laurie Hart, NSBA Development Manager-Central
Region
Jim Edwards, Kansas Association of School Boards
Patte Barth, NSBA, Center for Public Education
Wisconsin State Education Convention
January 23, 2008
Agenda
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Why pre-K?
The school board role
State trends – access AND quality
A federal role
questions
1
2
4
7
3
5
8
6
9
1
Pre-kindergarten education means putting little
children in desks.
1
Home
False
2
Gains made in preschool fade out in elementary
school.
2
Home
False
3
Each dollar invested in high-quality pre-k can save the
community up to $16 dollars later on.
3
Home
True
4
Kids with high-quality pre-k are less likely to drop
out of high school.
4
Home
True
5
Pre-k is only important for low-SES children or
children with special needs.
5
Home
False
6
School boards have no voice in pre-kindergarten
education.
6
Home
False
Why should school boards care
about pre-K?
What school board members
say about pre-k
• Greatest benefit: accelerates children’s
social, emotional, and cognitive
development to become school ready
(77%)
• Reduces the achievement gap between
low-income children and their more
affluent peers (71%)
• Reduces district expenses by decreasing
remediation and special education costs
(46%)
Source: NSBA survey of school board members, 2006
Challenges
• Making pre-K a public priority
• Implementing a sound system – one that
accommodates diverse providers
Findings from Survey: Challenges
79%
26%
17%
Lack of
resources
Hiring qualified
teachers/staff
Source: NSBA Survey, 2006
Coordinating/
collaborating
with eligible providers
16%
Lack of clear
expectations/standards
for school readiness
Pew-CPE initiative
• Making the case for prekindergarten
• Intensifying efforts in
Kansas, Ohio and Texas
• Reaching out broadly to
other states and
nationally
What the research says
about pre-K
Percent of students scoring in top quartile
Poor children start school behind their
more affluent peers academically …
80
27
8
27
7
27
6
0
reading
math
gneral
knowledge
Source: NCES, America’s Kindergartners, Class of 1998-99, February 2000
welfare
no welfare
… and socially
Percent of students who engage in prosocial behavior often or very often
78
75
80
67
69
53
43
welfare
no welfare
0
accept peer
form
ideas
friendships
comfort
others
Source: NCES, America’s Kindergartners, Class of 1998-99, February 2000
The benefits of pre-k convey to all
children
2
Effects of Tulsa Preschool Program on School
Readiness by Race & Ethnicity
Effect Size (gains)
1.5
0.99
Applied
problems
0.98
0.89
0.760.72
0.74
0.52
0.72
0.6
0.38
Spelling
0
White
Hispanic
Black
Source: Cannon & Karoly, Who Is Ahead and Who Is Behind?
RAND, 2007. Data from Gormley et al, 2005.
LetterWord ID
Native
American
The benefits of pre-k convey to all
children
Effects of Tulsa Preschool Program on School
Readiness by Family Income
Effect Size (gains)
2
1.04
Applied
problems
0.97
LetterWord ID
0.81
0.65
0.63
0.54
0.45
0.29
0
free lunch
reduced lunch
non eligible
Source: Cannon & Karoly, Who Is Ahead and Who Is Behind?
RAND, 2007. Data from Gormley et al, 2005.
Spelling
Short-term benefits
• More likely to score higher on math and
reading state tests in elementary school
• Less likely to be retained in grade
• Less likely to require special education
services
Sources: High Scopes/Perry Preschool, Abecedarian, Chicago Child-Parent Centers
Long-term benefits
• More likely to earn high school diploma
• More likely to be employed
• More likely to earn high wages
• More likely to be home owners
• Less likely to be a teen parent
• Less likely to be involved in criminal justice
system
Sources: High Scopes/Perry Preschool, Abecedarian, Chicago Child-Parent Centers
Pre-K is a gift that keeps on giving
IQ was over 90
at age 5
67
28
achieved basic
or better at 14
49
15
graduated high
school
with pre-k
without pre-k
65
45
owned home at
27
27
5
earned over
$20K at 40
60
40
0
Percent of individuals
100
SOURCE: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40, Summary, Conclusions,
and Frequently Asked Questions, November 2004
And it adds up:
Gains per $1 invested
18
16.14
7.14
3.78
2.36
0
Meta-analysis
SOURCE: CED, 2006
Abecedarian
Chicago Centers
High/Scope
Savings to K-12 in Wisconsin
• 68 cents per dollar invested in pre-K for
4-yr-olds statewide
• 76 cents per dollar invested in
Milwaukee alone
Savings in special ed placements, less grade retention, higher teacher retention, fewer
substitutes, school safety.
SOURCE: An economic analysis of four-year-old kindergarten in Wisconsin: Returns to the
education system, PreK Now, Washington, DC, September 2005.
Access to pre-k varies by race
& ethnicity
100
Percent of 4 year-olds
60
62
7
61
60
6
50
25
31
19
55
53
37
31
29
0
White
Black
Hispanic
center-based
Asian
Native
American
Head Start
Source: NCES, Pre:school: First findings, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort Follow
up, 2007
Access to pre-k also varies by
family income
100
72
1
Percent of 4 year-olds
57
47
13
71
25
44
22
0
lowest 20%
middle 60%
center-based
highest 20%
Head Start
Source: NCES, Pre:school: First findings, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort Follow
up, 2007
High-quality pre-k is High-quality pre-k IS
NOT
High pressure
Fun – “can I go to pre-K?”
Mandatory
Concerned with children’s
social/emotional/academic
development
Low-quality/concerned
only with access
Academic only
For all plus more for highneeds children
One size fits all
Often in diverse settings
Only in schools
Welcoming to parents too
Closed to parents
Absolutely voluntary
A silver bullet
Essential but not
sufficient
Adapted from Pew Charitable Trusts, 2006
State trends -- pre-k access
Access
• 38 states fund pre-k programs
• 20% of all 4-yr-olds enrolled in state pre-k
– up from 14% in 2002
• 2/3 of children served are in public school
settings
Source: NIEER, 2006
More state dollars for pre-k
FY 2005
FY 2008
15
36
$2.9 billion
$4.8 billion
# of states
increasing
pre-k funding
Total state
pre-k dollars
Source: Pre-K Now, Votes Count 2007
Pre-k funding by state, FY08
Orange: increase
Black: decrease
Tan: Flat
Blue: Inc, expected
White: no state pre-k
Gray: no budget
Map: Pre-K Now, Votes Count 2007
Access to state pre-k
Four-year-olds
Top States
OK
GA
VT
FL
TX
WV
WI
SC
MD
KY
70%
52%
47%
47%
44%
40%
32%
31%
31%
29%
No program
AK
HI
ID
IN
MS
MT
NH
ND
RI
SD
UT
WY
4-yr-olds in state pre-k
Map: NIEER State Preschool Yearbook, 2006
Wisconsin access
Wisconsin
Nat’l
average
Top
state
4-yr-olds in
state pre-k
32%
20%
70%
OK
4-yr-olds in
Head Start
9%
11%
36%
MS
$3,108
$3,482
$9,854
NJ
Per child
spending
Source: NIEER, 2006
State trends -- pre-k quality
NIEER’s 10 quality indicators
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Early learning standards
Lead teachers with B.A.
Lead teachers with early ed training
Ass’t teachers with CDA
Min. 15 hrs PD
Max. class size of 20
Min. staff-child ratio 1:10
Health support
Min. 1 meal
Site visits
Source: National Institute for Early Education Research
States meeting standards
• 2 states – AL and NC -- meet all 10
indicators
• 30 require a 1:10 staff-child ratio
• 28 have a max class size of 20
• 28 require early ed training
• 18 require BAs
Source: NIEER, 2006
Wisconsin state requirements
4K programs
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•
•
•
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Early learning standards
Lead teacher with BA
Early ed training
15 hrs professional development
Site visits
Source: NIEER, 2006
Wisconsin state requirements
Head Start
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•
•
•
•
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Early learning standards
Early ed training
Max. class size of 20
Staff-child ratio 1:10
Health screening
Min. one meal
Source: NIEER, 2006
A federal role
NSBA’s Pre-K Legislative
Committee
• Advocates for federal pre-k agenda to
include more investment in high-quality
pre-k
• Includes over 300 NA, FRN and CUBE
representatives at present
NSBA’s Federal Policy
Recommendations
• New federal grant program to fund portion of
costs to develop and expand voluntary quality
preschool programs in local school districts.
• Key caveats:
– School district participation discretionary
– Parent/student participation discretionary
– Not at expense of K-12 funding
– Doesn’t foster vouchers
NSBA’s Federal Policy
Recommendations (cont.)
• Programs adopt developmentally appropriate
early ed standards aligned with state’s K-12
standards.
• Require outside pre-k providers to collaborate
with local districts.
• Encourage states to upgrade teacher
certification / licensure systems to include BA
& early ed training
NSBA’s Federal Policy
Recommendations (cont.)
• Devote resources to districts to develop /
implement joint training and professional
development programs for early ed
instructors.
• Tools / incentives to replicate effective models
and improve program quality.
questions?
For more information …
• Center for Public Education
www.centerforpubliceducation.org
• Pre-K Legislative Committee
www.nsba.org
• Pew Charitable Trusts
www.pewtrusts.org
• Pre-K Now www.preknow.org
• National Affiliate Program www.nsba.org