As the battle about the impact of early education rages, yet another study appears.
North Carolina has evaluated the long-term effects of its pre-k program and found relationships between pre-k participation and 3rd grade math and reading skills. According to the study, Long-term effects of the North Carolina Pre-K program (by University of North Carolina):
“These findings suggest that for poor children (those who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch), participating in the More at Four Program during pre-k had longer-term benefits in terms of math and reading skills at the end of third grade. Based on the third-grade assessments, poor children who attended More at Four had higher math and reading scale scores and achievement levels than similarly poor children who did not attend More at Four. These findings were consistent across all outcomes, indicating a broad positive effect of participation in the More at Four Program on children’s later academic skills.”
This study, and many others like it, adds credibility to the belief that quality, well-implemented early education programs lead to ongoing gains.
