Unsettled science on longer-run effects of early education (original) (raw)
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Abstract
Early education programs are widely believed to be effective public investments for helping children succeed in school and for reducing incomeand race-based achievement gaps (1). These beliefs have been shaped by two prominent randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies that found beneficial program impacts extending well into adulthood and have been supported by a large body of correlational and quasi-experimental research (2). Our review of recent rigorous studies supports much more cautious conclusions regarding the longer-term effectiveness of today’s preschool programs. To be clear, there is evidence of the potential for today’s early education programs to accomplish their goals of improving long-run outcomes for many children. But preschool impacts are not unequivocally positive, and much more rigorous research is needed to understand how to design early education programs that are most effective at promoting the skills that children—and especially children from disadvantaged backgrounds—need to succeed in school and beyond.
Publication:
Science
Pub Date:
May 2024
DOI:
Bibcode:
Keywords:
- Education