Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Successthe 2014-2015 school year.2 These students began public Pre-K in 2010 and completed 3rd grade in 2015. The study focused on

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy forChildren at RiskVolume 7Issue 2 The Critical Years: Research and Progress inEarly Education and Early Brain Development

Article 7

2016

Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component forAcademic SuccessRobert Sanborn

Katie McConnell

Mandi Kimball

Andy Canales

Jesus Davila

See next page for additional authors

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk

The Journal of Applied Research on Children is brought to you for free andopen access by CHILDREN AT RISK at DigitalCommons@The TexasMedical Center. It has a "cc by-nc-nd" Creative Commons license"(Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives) For more information,please contact [email protected]

Recommended CitationRobert Sanborn, Katie McConnell, Mandi Kimball, Andy Canales, Jesus Davila, Shay Everitt, Kellie O'Quinn, Claire Treacy, andCarlos Villegas (2016) "Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Success," Journal of Applied Research on Children:Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 7 : Iss. 2 , Article 7.Available at: http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2/7

http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk?utm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol7%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages


http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7?utm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol7%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2?utm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol7%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2?utm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol7%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2/7?utm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol7%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages



http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk

http://childrenatrisk.org/

http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/

http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

mailto:[email protected]

Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Success

AcknowledgementsThis report was prepared with the extensive participation of the Texas Education Agency. The TexasEducation Agency provided valuable data and information that was used in this report to examine theassociation between participation in the Texas public Pre-Kindergarten program in 2010-2011 and readingscores on the 2014-2015 3rd Grade STAAR Assessment. CHILDREN AT RISK thanks the Texas EducationAgency and school principals throughout Texas who documented and shared their experiences in educatingchildren with varying levels of Pre-K attendance. Their time and feedback were essential to the success of thisresearch.

This report was made possible through the generous support of the Meadows Foundation and MilesFoundation. Additionally, this report builds off the most recent CHILDREN AT RISK 2014 Texas Pre-Kstudy supported by the Meadows Foundation and the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium.We appreciate their commitment to quality early education and better outcomes for families in Texas.

AuthorsRobert Sanborn, Katie McConnell, Mandi Kimball, Andy Canales, Jesus Davila, Shay Everitt, Kellie O'Quinn,Claire Treacy, and Carlos Villegas

This new research is available in Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk:http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2/7


Felix Lipov / Shutterstock.com

PRE-K IN TEXAS:A CRITICAL COMPONENT FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS

1

et al.: Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Success

Published by DigitalCommons@TMC, 2016

2

TABLEOFCONTENTSAcknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

ExecutiveSummaryandPolicyRecommendations…………………………………………………………………4

Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6

LiteratureReview……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8

StateofPre-KinTexas…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16

QuantitativeFindings………………………………………………………………………………………………………………23

Full-DayPre-KWorks…………………………………………………………………………………………………..26

InvestmentinHigherQualityPre-KProducesResults………………………………………………….28

QualityKindergarten–3rdGradeMatters……………………………………………………………………29

QualitativeFindings………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..33

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………35

Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………37

References………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………38

Endnotes…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………41

2

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, Vol. 7 [2016], Iss. 2, Art. 7

http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2/7

3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThisreportwaspreparedwiththeextensiveparticipationoftheTexasEducationAgency.The

TexasEducationAgencyprovidedvaluabledataandinformationthatwasusedinthisreportto

examinetheassociationbetweenparticipationintheTexaspublicPre-Kindergartenprogramin

2010-2011andreadingscoresonthe2014-20153rdGradeSTAARAssessment.CHILDRENAT

RISKthankstheTexasEducationAgencyandschoolprincipalsthroughoutTexaswho

documentedandsharedtheirexperiencesineducatingchildrenwithvaryinglevelsofPre-K

attendance.Theirtimeandfeedbackwereessentialtothesuccessofthisresearch.

ThisreportwasmadepossiblethroughthegeneroussupportoftheMeadowsFoundationand

MilesFoundation.Additionally,thisreportbuildsoffthemostrecentCHILDRENATRISK2014

TexasPre-KstudysupportedbytheMeadowsFoundationandtheTexasEducation

GrantmakersAdvocacyConsortium.Weappreciatetheircommitmenttoqualityearly

educationandbetteroutcomesforfamiliesinTexas.

ResearchandProductionTeam RobertSanborn,Ed.D.

President&CEO

KatieMcConnell,Ed.D.

ChiefOperatingOfficer

MandiSheridanKimball,MSW

Director,PublicPolicyandGovernmentAffairs

AndyCanales,M.S.Ed.

Director,CenterforSocialMeasurementandEvaluation

JesusDavila,MPP

AssistantDirector,CenterforSocialMeasurementandEvaluation

ShayEveritt,MSW

AssistantDirector,PublicPolicyandEarlyEducation

KellieO’Quinn,MSW

AssistantDirector,PublicPolicyandEarlyEducation

ClaireTreacy

ProjectCoordinator,CenterforSocialMeasurementandEvaluation

CarlosVillegas,M.A.

CenterforSocialMeasurementandEvaluation

3



4

EXECUTIVESUMMARY,KEYFINDINGS,ANDPOLICYRECOMMENDATIONS

Purpose

WithfundingfromtheMeadowsFoundationandtheMilesFoundation,researchersat

CHILDRENATRISKengagedinastudytoexaminehowparticipationinTexaspublicPre-

KindergartenPre-K1isassociatedwithperformanceonthe3

rdGradeStateofTexasAssessment

ofAcademicReadiness(STAAR)Readingassessment.

CHILDRENATRISKtrackedapproximately47,000studentsfromthe2010-2011schoolyearto

the2014-2015schoolyear.2ThesestudentsbeganpublicPre-Kin2010andcompleted3

rd

gradein2015.Thestudyfocusedonfivemajorindependentschooldistricts(ISD)inTexas

(AustinISD,DallasISD,FortWorthISD,HoustonISD,andSanAntonioISD)and12additional

schooldistrictssurroundingthesemajormetropolitanareas.3

Thepurposeofthisreportistwofold.Thefirstpurposeistoeducateparents,policymakers,

andthepublicabouttheassociationbetweenTexaspublicPre-Kand3rdgradeSTAARReading

outcomes.Acrosscampusesandstudents,thisstudyexaminestherelationshipbetween

varyinglevelsofpublicPre-KparticipationandSTAARReadingscoresbycomparing3rdgrade

STAARReadingmeansamongmultiplesub-groupsofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents.The

secondpurposeistoofferpolicyrecommendationsthatwillincreaseaccesstoandimprovethe

qualityoftheTexaspublicPre-Kprogramonbehalfofparents,taxpayers,and—most

importantly—children.

Background

Thisreportisthemostrecentlarge-scalePre-KTexasstudysince2012,andsupportsfindings

fromtwopreviousstudiesfromtheUniversityofTexasatDallasandtheUniversityofTexasat

AustinLyndonBainesJohnsonSchoolofPublicAffairs.Similartoourfindings,thesetwostudies

suggestpositiverelationshipsbetweenTexaspublicPre-Kattendanceand3rdgrade

standardizedreadingoutcomes.

ThisreportalsobuildsoffthemostrecentCHILDRENATRISK2014TexasPre-Kstudysupported

bytheMeadowsFoundationandtheTexasEducationGrantmakersAdvocacyConsortium

(TEGAC),whichfoundamajorityofdistrictsindicatinginadequatefundingasakeybarrierto

expandingfull-dayTexaspublicPre-K.

ThisreportisnoteworthygiventheTexasLegislature’srecentfocusin2015onpublicPre-K

qualityduringthe84thLegislativeSessionasthisstudyconnectsPre-Kqualityindicators(e.g.

classsize,funding,andPre-Kprogramlength)with2010-2011and2014-2015anonymized

studentleveldatafromtheTexasEducationAgency(TEA).

4



5

MethodologyCHILDRENATRISK,anonpartisanresearchorganizationandadvocacynon-profitorganization

utilizedquantitativeandqualitativemethodstocompletethisstudy:(1)aliteraturereviewof

pastnationalandTexas-specificPre-Kstudies;(2)analysisofmultipledatasourcesincluding

anonymizedstudent-leveldatafromtheTEA(includingdemographicandsocio-economic

characteristics),financialdatafromtheTexasPublicEducationInformationResource(TPEIR),

schoolrankingsdatafromCHILDRENATRISK,andcampusleveldatafromtheTEA’sAcademic

ExcellenceIndicatorSystem(AEIS);and(3)phoneinterviewswithselect“GoldRibbon”schools

(thosethatarehighperformingandhaveahighpercentageofeconomicallydisadvantaged

students).

KeyFindingsOverall,thisstudyfindsthat,onaverage,economicallydisadvantagedstudentswhoattended

high-qualitypublicPre-Kin2010scoredhigheronthe20153rdGradeSTAARReading

assessmentthaneconomicallydisadvantagedstudentswhodidnotattendpublicPre-Korthose

whoattendedlowerqualitypublicPre-K.

1. Full-DayPre-KWorks:

Fortheoverwhelmingmajorityofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,thedatasuggests

thatstudentswhoattendfull-daypublicPre-Kscorehigheronthe3rdGradeSTAARReading

assessmentthaneconomicallydisadvantagedstudentswhodonotattendpublicPre-Kor

attendhalf-daypublicPre-K.4Foreconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,theoddsofreading

atacollege-readypace5are40%higheriftheyattendedfull-daypublicPre-K.

6

2. InvestmentinHigherQualityPre-KProducesResults:

Districtsthatprovidedfull-dayorqualityPre-KspentmoreperstudentonPre-Kthanthe

2015-2016stateaverage.Inthesedistricts,therewasastrongerpositiverelationship

betweenPre-Kenrollmentand3rdGradeSTAARReadingscores.7

3. QualityK-3Matters:

Fortheoverwhelmingmajorityofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,thedatasuggestsa

qualityPre-KeducationandaqualityKindergartenthrough3rdgradeeducationmakesthe

biggestimpact.8

5



6

PolicyRecommendations

Theresearchmakesitapparentthatinordertomaintainastrongworkforce,theStateofTexas

needstomovetowardsensuringalllow-incomechildrenhaveaccesstofull-dayqualityPre-K.

ThefollowingpolicyrecommendationswillmoveTexasinthatdirection:

1. Sustainthehigh-qualityPre-KGrantat$236millionforthebiennium.

2. Createsustainablefundingforhigh-qualityPre-Kthroughformulafunding.

3. LimitPre-Kclassroomstoamaximumof22students,allowingnomorethan11students

foreachteacheroraideinPre-Kclasseswithmorethan15students.

4. CreateanEarlyChildhoodthrough3rdGradeteachingcertificatetoprovideanoption

forteacherstogainin-depthexpertiseinearlyelementarygrades.

Giventheresearchshowingaqualityearlychildhoodeducationiscriticaltolong-termsuccess,

CHILDRENATRISKalsorecommendsthefollowingpolicychangesthatwouldstrengthenthe

qualityofeducationalserviceschildrenundertheageoffivereceive:

5. Increaseinter-agencycoordinationofchildcareandPre-Kdatasystemsthroughthe

EarlyChildhoodDatabaseSystemtoimproveoutcomesforchildrenandmaximize

efficiencyoftaxpayerdollars.

6. Increaselocalcoordinationofearlyeducationprogramsbysupportingpublic/private

partnershipsbetweenschooldistrictsandhigh-qualitychildcarecenters.

Methodology

ThestructureofthisreportmovesfromthehighestlevelofPre-Kanalysis(largenationaland

Texas-specificPre-Kstudies)tothesmallestlevelofPre-Kanalysis(student-levelanalysis).

ThepurposeofthisstudyistoanalyzehowvaryinglevelsofTexaspublicPre-Kareassociated

with3rdgradereadingscoresasmeasuredbytheTexasSTAARassessment.

LiteratureReviewandTexasPre-K

Webeginwithaliteraturereviewexploringthestrengthsandgapsofpreviousnationaland

Texas-specificstudiesonPre-K’seffectonlong-termacademicoutcomes.Thestudythenmoves

intoahighlevel“snapshot”ofTexasPre-Kasitexiststoday.

QuantitativeAnalysis:Pre-KEnrollmentandThirdGradeReading

WethenmovetoamoregranularlevelofPre-Kbyanalyzingstudent-level2010-2011Pre-K

enrollmentand2014-2015STAARReadingdataacrossfivemajorurbanschooldistricts:Austin

ISD,DallasISD,FortWorthISD,HoustonISDandSanAntonioISD.

6



7

TobroadenthisstatewideanalysisandfurtherexploretheassociationbetweenPre-Kspending

and3rdgradeSTAARReadingoutcomes,weincorporateseveralotherdata-setsintothe

analysisfor12additionalschooldistricts:TexasperstudentPre-KfundingfromtheTPEIR,2016

CHILDRENATRISKschoolrankingdata,andclasssizeinformationfromthe2011AEIS.

QualitativeAnalysis:“GoldRibbon”PrincipalInterviews

ToincreaseourunderstandingevenfurtherofthewaysinwhichPre-Kdoesordoesnotmakea

noticeabledifferenceinTexaselementaryschools,weconductedasetofin-depth,semi-

structuredinterviewswithprincipalsof“GoldRibbon”schools.

GoldRibbonisaperformanceindicatordesignedbyCHILDRENATRISKtosignifyschoolsthat

arehighperformingandhighpoverty.ToobtainGoldRibbonstatus,aschoolmustbemore

than75%economicallydisadvantagedandmustreceiveanCHILDRENATRISKAorBschool

ranking.SchoolswithaCHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolrankingaretopperformingschoolsin

thestateduetostudentgrowthandacademicachievementinmathandreading.

Additionally,thesefiveschoolswereselectedbecausetheyarethetopfiveperformingGold

RibbonschoolsinTexas.Allprincipalsattheseschoolsagreedtoparticipateinasemi-

structuredinterviewswhereweexploredtherolePre-Kplaysattheircampuses.

LimitsoftheStudy

Thisstudyoperatesundertheassumptionthateconomicallydisadvantagedstudentshavethe

mosttogainfromPre-K.Ourmainsampleconsistedof19,323studentsacross509schools

encompassingfivemajorISD’sinTexas:AustinISD,DallasISD,FortWorthISD,HoustonISDand

SanAntonioISD.WelookedatSpanishandEnglishtesttakersseparatelyandremovedall

alternativetesttakers.

Wetestmeandifferencesacrossallcomparisongroupsforstatisticalsignificanceusingthe

Welchtwosamplet-test,atestusedtogainconfidenceintheprobabilitythatdifferences

actuallyexistedacrosssamples.Similarly,weuseaChi-Squaretesttoassesstheodds-ratioof

enrollingin2010-2011full-dayTexasPre-KandreachingtheLevelIISatisfactorymetriconthe

2014-2015STAARReadingassessment.

ThisstudyisnotintendedtobeacausalanalysisofPre-Keffects,butratherastudyonthe

associationbetween2010-2011Pre-Kenrollmentand2014-20153rdgradeSTAARReading

outcomes.Studiesinthepast,bothinTexasandnationally,haveattemptedtouseeitherquasi-

experimentaldesignsorrandomcontroltrialstounderstandthecognitiveandbehavioral

benefitsforstudentsthatenrollinPre-K.Contrarytothesestudies,thisanalysissimplyseeksto

findassociationsbetweenPre-Kenrollmentandaverage3rdGradeSTAARReadingscores.

Aboveall,thisstudyhighlightsassociationsamongstobservationalpaneldataforasetof

districts.Wedonotattempttodisentanglecountervailingeffectssuchaschangesovertimeor

7



8

withindistrictsusingfixedeffects,differenceindifferences,orregressiondiscontinuity.While

advancedquasi-experimentalmodelsapproximatecausalrelationshipsbetterthansimple

differencesinmeansandChi-Squaretests,thepurposeofthisanalysisistogiveanintuitive

analysisofassociationswithPre-Kusingavailabledata.Whilepositiveassociationsbetween

highqualityPre-Kenrollmentandhigher3rdSTAARReadingscoresmaysuggestapossible

causalrelationship,itisoutsidethescopeofthisstudytostronglysuggestcausality.

Anotherlimitofthisanalysisisthatanyfindingreflectsonlythedistrictswestudied.Thisstudy

focusesonstudentsthatattendedPre-Kwithinadistrictandthenstayedinthedistrictuntil3rd

grade.IfastudentattendedPre-Koutsideofastudydistrictandthenenteredthestudydistrict

afterPre-K,thenthatstudentwouldbecountedasnotattendingPre-K.Similarly,studentswho

attendHeadStartorprivatePre-KunderthisstudywouldnotbecountedasattendingPre-K.

Whilethisisproblematic,itmostlikelycausesourestimatedPre-Kassociationtobe

conservativeassomestudentsnotcountedasattendingPre-Kmayhaveattendedanother

formofformalearlyeducationsuchasHeadStartorprivatePre-K.

LITERATUREREVIEWThissectionprovidesareviewofliteratureonqualityPre-Kaccessandpreviousnationaland

Texas-specificstudies.Wefocusedontheimpactofpovertyonchildren,thebenefitsofhigh-

qualityPre-Kforeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,theaccessibilityofhigh-qualityPre-K,

thestrengthsandlimitationsofpreviousnationalandTexas-specificPre-Kstudies.

Figure1.Structureandapproachofliteraturereviewforcurrentstudy.

8



9

TheImpactofPovertyonChildrenandSocietyAccordingtotheNationalCenterforChildreninPoverty,47percentofchildrenintheUnitedStatesundertheageofthreeliveinlow-incomehouseholdsin2014(Jiang,Ekono,&Skinner,2016).

Childrenfromlow-incomehouseholdsexperiencealevelofstressthatcanhavelong-lasting

andadverseeffectsonacademicandbehavioraldevelopment(Duncan,Magnuson,&Votruba-

Drzal,2014).Infact,childreninhouseholdsfromthelowestincomequintilebeginKindergartenwithacademicskillsthatare20monthsbehindthoseofchildrenfromthetopincomequintile(Nores&Barnett,2014).Thesegapseventuallyleadtohigherhighschooldropoutrates,decreasedcollegeattendance,andlowerwagesforlow-incomeadults(Aud,Fox,

&KewalRamani,2010).

Theseachievementgapsarenotindividualproblems,butratherasocietalproblem.An

uneducatedandunder-productivelaborforcewillresultinhighersocietalcostsandaless

productiveeconomy.

PovertyandHigh-QualityPre-K:LimitedAccessandLimitedAvailability

OnewayAmericaaddressesachievementgapsexacerbatedbypovertyisbyprovidingPre-K

programstochildren,especiallythosewhoareeconomicallydisadvantaged–anintervention

researchershavestudiedfordecades.

ManystatesattempttoaddresstheseachievementgapsthroughstatewidePre-Kprograms;

however,itisdifficultforstatestoprovidestudentswithPre-Kprogramsthatareasresource-

intensive(Andrews,Jargowsky,&Khune,2012).Infact,statePre-Kprogramsthatfocusonat-

riskchildrenareoftenoflowerquality(Nores&Barnett,2014).

Toestimatetheamountofqualityearlyeducationavailableacrossstates,researchersused

nationallyrepresentativedatafromtheEarlyChildhoodLongitudinalStudy’sBirthCohort

(ECLS-B)andKindergartenCohort(ECLS-K).Thisstudyestimatesthatone-thirdofallfour-year-oldchildrenareenrolledinhigh-qualityearlychildhoodeducation;thisnumberdropsto10percentofallfour-year-oldswhenlimitedtofull-dayhighqualityprograms(Friedman-Krauss,

Barnett,&Nores,2016).

Inshort,itappearsthatmanyfour-year-oldsareinlowqualityearlyeducationprogramsand

veryfewhaveaccesstoafull-dayqualityeducation.

WhyIncreaseAccesstoHigh-QualityPre-K?

Inthefirstfewyearsoflife,achild’sbraincreates700newneuralconnectionspersecond.

Rapidlearninggapsseemtoappearjustasquickly.Differencesinvocabularybetweenchildren

fromhigh-incomehouseholdsandlow-incomehouseholdsfirstappearat18monthsofage.

9



10

Similarly,byagethree,childrenwithcollege-educatedparentsdemonstratevocabulariesthat

aretwotothreetimeslargerthanchildren’swithparentswhodidnotcompletehighschool

(CenterontheDevelopingChild,2009).

Tohelptheseeconomicallydisadvantagedchildrencatchup,astructuredor“formal”early

educationenvironmentsuchasPre-Kseemstobestpreparethemforelementaryschooland

beyond.

Figure2.Differencebetweenformalandinformalcareinearlyeducation.

Aboveall,theresearchsuggeststhatqualitychildcareexistsatahigherrateinformalsettings.

UsingnationallyrepresentativedatafromtheECLS-B,Bassok,Fitzpatrick,Greenberg,andLoeb

(2016)foundthatqualityis“systematicallyhigher”informalcaresettingsthaninformalcare

settingsusingbothstructuralandobservationalmeasures(Bassoketal.,2016).Likewise,

Dowsett,Huston,Imes,andGennetian(2008)foundthatchildreninformalcaresettings

experienceincreasedcognitivestimulationandsensitivecare(Dowsettetal.,2008).Thisformal

careadvantagemaybearesultofstrictregulationsandaccesstoawiderarrayofresources

(Gormley,Phillips,Adelstein,&Shaw,2010;Zhai,Waldfogel,&Brooks-Gunn,2013).

Similarly,AnsariandWinsler(2013)foundthatchildrenwhoattendedformalearlychildhood

educationhadmoderategainsinpre-academicandsocialskills;however,ofalltheformalearlychildhoodeducationprograms,childreninpublicPre-KshowedthestrongestKindergartenreadinessandscoredabovenationalaveragesinbothlanguageandcognitionassessments(Ansari&Winsler,2013).ThisfindingiscorroboratedbyBarnett’s(2011)meta-

studywhichfoundthatthemostpositivecognitiveimpactoccurswhen“directinstruction”is

intentionalandsometimesscripted(Barnett,2011).

Tomaximizecognitivebenefitsduringthisperiodofrapidbraindevelopment,studentsneed

high-qualityPre-K.High-qualityPre-KhappenswhenbothPre-KandKindergartenteachers

communicate,whenteacherssharecurriculum,andwhenteachersarebetterpaidand

educated.Finally,Pre-Kworksbestwhentheinstructionalignswithrigorousstateeducational

demands(Magnuson,Ruhm,&Waldfogel,2007).

10



11

AHistoryofNationalPre-KEvaluations

Thissectionprovidesanoverviewofvariousnotablenationalresearchstudiesthathave

evaluatedtheeffectsofPre-Kthroughrandomizedearlyeducationinterventions.These

programshavebecomeknownas“model”programsthatareoftencitedasevidenceforPre-K’s

impactonlong-termacademicsuccess.ThemostprominentstudiesaretheCarolina

AbecedarianProject,thePerryPreschoolProject,theVanderbiltStudy,andtheDukeStudy.

TheCarolinaAbecedarianProject

In1972,theFrankPorterGrahamChildDevelopmentInstituteselected111infantsborn

between1972and1977toparticipateinanexperimentthatwouldobservetheeffectsofa

high-qualityinterventionfrominfancythroughagefive.

Theparticipantswereselectedaccordingtoa“High-RiskIndex”ratingandwererandomly

placedintotreatmentandcontrolgroups(Ramsey,1974).Thegoalwastoobserveifearly

educationinterventionscouldhelpat-riskchildrenovercomedevelopmentaldelaysand

academicfailure.

TheAbecedarianProjectprovidedacomprehensivearrayofservicestofamiliesinthe

treatmentgroupsuchassocialworkservices,nutritionalsupplements,medicalcare,

transportation,paymentforparticipation,anddiapers.Meanwhile,familiesinthetreatment

groupreceivedadailycurriculumfocusedondevelopmentandlearningactivitiesforchildren

frombirthtothreeyearsofage,aswellasearlyeducationcarethroughagefive(Ramsey,

1974).Short-term,thetreatmentgroupshowedsubstantialincreasesinacademic,social,and

healthbenefits.However,whatsetstheAbecedarianProjectapartarethedocumentedlong-

termbenefitschildrenfromthetreatmentgroupexhibitedthroughouttheiradultyears.

AsresearchersfromAbecedarianProjecttrackedthetrajectoryofthetreatmentgroupfrom

agethreethrough30,theyobservedthetreatmentindividualsattainedbothsignificantly

higherlevelsofeducationandhigherlevelsofeconomicbenefits(Campbelletal.,2012).

Althoughtheeconomicbenefitswerereportedasinconclusiveintheresearchpaper,the

authorsnotedthattheoddsoffull-timeemploymentweretwiceashighforthetreatment

groupthanthecontrolgroup.Furthermore,theearnedincome,jobprestige,andheadof

householdstatuswashigherforthetreatmentgroupincomparisontothecontrolgroup

(Campbelletal.,2012).

Inasecondfollow-up,(Campbelletal.,2014)determinedthatthelong-termbenefitsextended

topersistenthealthbenefits.Theresearchersfoundthatindividualsrandomlyassignedtothe

treatmentgrouphadaconsiderablylowerprevalenceofriskfactorsassociatedwith

cardiovascularandmetabolicdiseases,mostsignificantlyamongmales.Theyalsofoundthat

25%ofthecontrolgroupwasaffectedbymetabolicsyndrome,whichputsindividualsatriskfor

11



12

heartdisease,whilenotasingleparticipantinthetreatmentgroupwasaffectedbythis

condition(Campbelletal.,2014).

HighScopePerryPreschoolStudy

Intheearly1960’s,thePerryPreschoolProject–oneofthemostnotablepreschoolresearch

experimentstodate–begantracking123low-incomeyoungchildren.Ofthe123children,58

childrenaccessedahigh-qualitypreschoolprogram(treatmentgroup)whiletheremaining65

childrendidnot(Schweinhartetal.,2005).

ThetreatmentgroupconsistedofAfrican-Americanchildreninpovertyandat-riskoffailing

school.Startingatagethree,thisgroupofchildrenreceivedaccesstoafreepreschool

educationinverysmallclassesledbyqualifiedteacherswithbachelor’sdegrees.The

interventionalsoconsistedofsubstantialparentoutreach:Teachersworkingwiththe

treatmentgroupvisitedtheirhomesatleastonceeverytwoweeks(Schweinhartetal.,2005).

Thesestudentsweretrackedacrosstheiradultlives.Forthechildrenwhoreceivedthehigh-

qualitypreschoolintervention,Heckman,Moon,Pinto,Savelyev,&Yavitz(2010)foundtherate

ofreturnfortheprogramwasapproximately7to12dollarsforeverydollarinvested.This

returnoninvestmentcamefromreductionsincrime,higherearnings,moreschooling,lower

out-of-wedlockbirthsandotherpositivelifeoutcomesforstudentsandsociety.Thispromising

projecthaspiquedtheinterestofstatesacrossthecountryforyears(Heckmanetal.,2010).

Manystates,similartothePerryPreschoolproject,attempttoaddressachievementgaps

throughstatewidePre-Kprograms,howeverit’sdifficultforstatestocreatepublicPre-Kprogramsatscalethatinvestatlevelssimilarto“model”programslikethePerryPre-Schoolproject(Andrews,Jargowsky,andKhune,2012).

TheVanderbiltStudy

In2005,Tennesseeallocated$213milliondollarstowardstheexpansionofitsPre-Kprogram,

whichcreated786newseatsfor15,000preschoolers.

Toevaluatetheexpandedprogram,Vanderbilt’sPeabodyResearchInstituteusedthe

oversubscriptionofPre-Katparticipatingschoolsthathadtoomanystudentswhowantedto

attendPre-K.Capitalizingonthisoversubscription,researcherscreatedarandomcontroltrial

wheretheyrandomlyassignedstudentstoPre-KornoPre-K.Theresearchersevaluated

Kindergartenreadinessandpersistenceofcognitivebenefitsforbothgroupsofstudents

through3rdgrade.

ResearchersfoundthatstudentsattendingPre-Kinitiallyoutperformedstudentswhodidnot

attendPre-KinKindergarten;however,by2ndgrade,thecontrolgrouphadsurpassedthePre-K

groupbymostmeasures(Lipsey,Farran,&Hofer,2016).

12



13

WhilethisPre-KstudyprovidesanalternativenarrativeofPre-K’seffectivenessonlong-term

academicoutcomes,onemaypointoutthatoftheinitial3,000studentsinthestudy,only

1,076parentsallowedstudentstobetrackedthroughformativetestsandteacherevaluations.

Thismeansthatasubstantialnumberofstudentswerenotabletobeevaluatedyet.Finally,

thisstudydidnotusestatestandardizedassessmentstoevaluateoutcomes;instead,itrelied

onstudy-specificmeasuresofstudentperformance(Lipseyetal.,2016).

DukeStudyonPre-K:QualityBeatsFadeOut

ThemostrecentstudyonPre-KeffectivenesspublishedinNovemberof2016trackedovera

millionstudentsover13consecutiveyearswithinNorthCarolina’shighqualityPre-Ksystem

(Dodge,K.A.,Bai,Y.,Ladd,H.F.,&Muschkin,C.G.,2016).

ThisDukestudyevaluatedtheimpactofcountylevelfundingfortwoearlyeducationprograms:

SmartStartandMoreatFourfor100countiesover13consecutiveyears.Theoutcome

variablestheyexploredwere3rd,4

th,and5

thgradereadingandmathstandardizedtestscores,

specialeducationplacement,andgraderetention.Theoverallsampleof1,004,571consistedof

arelativelyevenmixofgirlsandboys,withanethnicitybreakdownof61%non-LatinoWhite,

30%AfricanAmerican,4%Latino,and5%other.

UnlikepreviousPre-Kstudies,thisevaluationtrackedallPre-Kstudentsintheentirestate

systemover13consecutiveyearswithinanearlyeducationsystemthatisconsideredhigh

quality.

ThestudyfoundthatstatePre-Kinvestmentwasassociatedwithhigherstandardizedreading

andmathtestscoresfromthirdthroughfifthgradewithnoevidenceoffadeout,forallincome

groupsandethnicities.Theauthorssuggestedthatfadeoutwasnotpresentbecauseof

strategicsaturationacrossincomegroups:“…thesustainedeffectssuggestthatitmaybemore

beneficialtosaturateacommunitywithanearlychildhoodprogramthantodistributelimited

resourcesacrossmanycommunitiesatalevelthatisbelowathresholdofenduringimpact”

(Dodgeet.al,2016,p.35).Theresultsfromthisstudyalsocountersthefindingsfromthe

Vanderbiltstudywhileusingamorecomprehensivesampleandstandardizedreadingandmath

scores.

AHistoryofTexas-SpecificPre-KEvaluations

ThissectionprovidesanoverviewoftworecentnotableTexas-Specificresearchstudiesthat

werereleasedin2012whichevaluatetheassociationbetweenattendanceinTexaspublicPre-K

and3rdgradereadingoutcomesmeasuredbytheState’sstandardizedreadingassessments

usedfrom1991-2012.OnestudyanalyzedtheassociationbetweenparticipationinTexas’

publicPre-Kprogramand3rdgradereadingscoresmeasuredbythe(TAAS)assessmentwhile

theotherstudyused3rdgradereadingscoresfromtheTexasAssessmentofKnowledgeand

Skills(TAKS)assessment.

13



14

StudyUsingtheTexasAssessmentofAcademicSkills(TAAS)

Andrews,Jargowsky,andKuhne(2012)evaluatedtheassociationbetweenTexas’targetedPre-

Kprogramand3rdgradestandardizedreadingscoresmeasuredbytheTAASassessment,which

wasadministeredbyTexasbetween1990and2002.InadditiontoTAASreadingscores,

researchersalsoevaluatedtheassociationbetweenTexasPre-Kandthelikelihoodofgrade

retentionandtheprobabilityofreceivingspecialeducation(Andrewsetal.,2012).

Thestudyexamined682,749studentsfrom1994through2002,whichfoundthatstudentswho

participatedinTexas’targetedPre-KprogramhadhigherreadingandmathscoresontheTAAS,

alowerlikelihoodofbeingretained,andadecreasedprobabilityofreceivingspecialeducation

services(Andrewsetal.,2012).

ThisstudyshowedTexas’Pre-Kprogram’seffecton3rdgradereadingandmathscoresfor

studentswhowereeconomicallydisadvantagedand/orwithlimitedEnglishproficiencywas

statisticallysignificant:“…economicallydisadvantagedstudentswhoparticipatedinpublicPre-K

scoresabout0.06standarddeviationshigherontheirthirdgradereadingtestthanstudents

whodidnotattendtheprogram”(Andrewsetal.,2012,p.10).Studentswhowereboth

economicallydisadvantagedandwithlimitedEnglishproficiencyexperiencedthegreatest

statisticallysignificanteffectat0.1107;“…thefactthattheprogram’seffectwaslargestfor

studentswithtwoformsofdisadvantageisalsoanencouragingresult…theseeffectsare

substantivelymeaningful,particularlyforaninterventionthatoccurredfouryearspriortothe

outcomemeasure”(p.10).

ThebenefitsofTexas’Pre-Kprogramwerenotlimitedto3rdgradeTAASreadingandmath

scores:StudentswhoparticipatedintheTexasPre-Kprogramalsodemonstratedadiminished

probabilityofretentionandspecialeducationassignment:the“…oddsofretention[were]24

percentlowerforthosewhoattendedpublicPre-K.Theoddsofretentionforstudentswho

qualifyfortheprogramduetolimitedEnglishproficiency[were]40percentlowerforthose

whodidnotattendpublicPre-Kthanforthosewhodonot”(Andrewsetal.,2012,p.12).

Additionally,studentswhoattendedTexaspublicPre-Kshowedthey“…werelesslikelytobe

assignedtospecialeducationinthirdgrade;theoddsofassignmentwere13percentlowerfor

thosewhoattendedpublicPre-Kotherthingsequal”(Andrewsetal.,2012,p.13).

StudyUsingtheTexasAssessmentofAcademicSkills(TAKS)

AnothermajorTexas-specificPre-KstudypreparedbytheUniversityofTexasatAustinLBJ

SchoolofPublicAffairsandtheRayMarshallCenterfortheStudyofHumanResourcesalso

studiedtherelationshipbetweenTexaspublicPre-Kattendanceinand3rdgradeTAKSreading

scores.Thestudyexamined237,279studentswhoattendedPre-Kin1998-1999andtookthe

TAKSReadingassessmentin2002-2003.

Overall,thisstudyfoundthatthemostdisadvantagedchildren,especiallythosewhoqualified

forPre-KservicesduetoboththeireconomicallydisadvantagedandlimitedEnglishproficiency

14



15

status,benefitedthemostfromTexaspublicPre-Kevidencedbyhigherthird-gradeTAAS

readingandmathscores.

ResultsbyethnicgroupalsoshowedHispanicchildrenandblackchildrenbenefitedfromTexas’

publicPre-Kprogram:“…Forreading,scoresofHispanicchildrenwhoattendedPre-Kexceeded

thosewhodidnotby11.6points…similarly,formath,thedifferencewas11.5points…the

advantagesassociatedwithPre-KwereespeciallymarkedforHispanicchildrenwhotookthe

testinSpanish”(Huston,Gupta,&Schexnayder,2012,p.19).BlackchildrenwhoattendedPre-K

alsoperformedbetteronthe3rdmathTAKSassessment.

Ingeneral,Hustonetal.(2012)studyfoundthatdisadvantagedchildrenwhoattendedTexas’

publicPre-Kprogramshowedincreaseddifferencesinboth3rdgradereadingandmathscores

thanchildrenwhodidnotattendPre-K.

TexasPublicPre-K:HighAccess,LowQuality

TheresultsfromboththeAndrewsetal.(2012)andHustonetal.(2012)studieswere

promising,especiallysinceTexas’Pre-Kprogramhashistoricallynotbeenconsideredhigh-

quality.Texas’Pre-KprogramonlymeetstwoofthetenqualitybenchmarkstheNational

InstituteforEarlyEducationResearch(NIEER)usestoevaluatestatePre-Kprogramquality

acrosstheUnitedStates.GiventhelowqualityofTexas’publicPre-K,boththeAndrewsetal.

(2012)andHustonetal.(2012)studiesshowedthat“…evenamediocreprogramimplemented

state-wide,canhaveapositiveimpactonanumberofacademicoutcomeseveniftheylackthe

resourcesorintensivenessof[other]modelprograms…”(Andrewsetal.,2012,p.15).

ThisisnottosaythatindividualdistrictPre-KprogramsacrossTexasdonotmeetNIEER’shigh

qualitystandards,butratherthelawinTexasisnotasrigorousasitcouldbe.Furthermore,in

2015NIEERrankedTexasas10thinPre-Kaccessto4-yearoldsyet30

thinstatespending.Witha

substantialnumberof4-yearoldsaccessingPre-KinTexas,thereisanopportunityforTexasto

provideschooldistrictswiththesustainablefundingtheyneedtocreatequalitypublicPre-Kfor

thestudentsalreadyaccessingTexaspublicPre-K.

MeadowsCHILDRENATRISK2016STAARStudy

AlthoughtheAndrewsetal.(2012)andHustonetal.(2012)studieswereusefulindetermining

theeffectoftheTexas’publicPre-Kprogram,theyarenotpertinenttothestateofPre-Ktoday

sincestudentsnowtakeSTAARReadingin3rdGrade,theState’snewstandardizedreading

assessment.TheMeadowsCHILDRENATRISK2016studybuildsonthesepreviousevaluations

byfurtherexploringtheefficacyoftheTexasPre-Kprogramusing3rdgradeSTAARReading

standardizedscores.Thisstudyisthethirdrecentlarge-scaleevaluationsince2010thathas

foundpositiveassociationsbetweenparticipationinTexaspublicPre-Kandstandardized

readingtestscores.

WhilethemethodologyusedbytheMeadowsCHILDRENATRISKstudyisnotascomplexasthe

15



16

onesemployedbytheAndrewsetal.(2012)andHustonetal.(2012)studies,theMeadows

CHILDRENATRISKstudyenhancesthecurrentdialoguecenteredonTexasPre-Kqualityby

focusingonhowseveralqualitymeasures(e.g.funding,lengthofday,classroomsize,andthe

qualityofKindergartenthrough3rdeducation)impactstudentoutcomesasmeasuredbythe

relativelynewSTAARReadingassessment,afocusthatmakesthisreportespeciallytimely.

STATEOFPRE-KINTEXASABriefHistoryandBackgroundofPre-KEligibility

Since1985,Texashasprovidedfundingtoschooldistrictsthroughoutthestateforthe

provisionofhalf-dayPre-Kservices.Theprogramisofferedtothreeandfour-year-oldat-risk

childrenwhomeetatleastoneofthefollowingconditionsor“at-risk”factors:

• Theyreceivefreeorreduced-pricedlunch.

• Theyarehomeless.

• Theyareinfostercare.

• Theirparentisonactivemilitaryduty.

• Theirparentwaskilledorinjuredduringactivemilitaryduty.

• TheyareunabletospeakorcomprehendEnglish.

Schooldistrictsthathaveatleast15childrenthatarefouryearsoldandmeettheeligibility

criteriaarerequiredbylawtocreateapublicPre-Ksystem9undertheauspiceoftheTEA(Texas

EducationAgency,2014)[TEA].

TheTEAoverseesPre-KadministrationandfundsthroughtheFoundationSchoolProgram,

whichprovidesschooldistrictswithPre-KfundingthroughtheAverageDailyAttendance(ADA)

formulathattakesintoaccountnumerousfactorsincludingstudentattendance.In2014-2015,

Texasspentapproximately$3,600perpupilonstatePre-Kprograms,10causingTexastobe

ranked30th(of43)inthenationinPre-Kspending(Barnettetal.,2016).TexasPre-Kspending

perpupilisbelowthenationalPre-Kspendingperpupilaverageof$4,521(Barnettetal.,2016).

TexasPublicPre-KAccessAsawhole,perstudentPre-KfundingislowinTexascomparedtootherstatesandoverall

programqualityispoor.Despitethisfact,Texasisrankedinthe90thpercentileforPre-Kaccess

duetoasteadyincreaseinfour-year-oldattendance.In2014-2015,48%ofthestate’sfour-

year-oldchildrenattendedpublicPre-KinTexas(Barnettetal.,2016).

16



17

Figure3

Figure3.ModifiedfromBarnett,W.S.,Friedman-Krauss,A.H.,Gomez,R.E.,Horowitz,M.,Weisenfeld,G.G.,ClarkBrown,K.,&

Squires,J.H.(2016).Thestateofpreschool2015:Statepreschoolyearbook.RetrievedfromtheNationalInstituteforEarly

EducationResearch:http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Yearbook_2015_rev1.pdf

WhoAttendsPre-K?

TPEIRisorganizedbytheTEAandtheHigherEducationCoordinatingboardtoprovidedata

reportstoresearchersandpolicymakers.Themostrecent2014-2015statewidePre-Kdata

revealsseveralkeypointsregardingthelandscapeoftheexistingPre-KprograminTexas.

First,the2014-2015datarevealedthattheoverwhelmingmajorityofstudentsreceivingPre-K

servicesareeligiblebecauseoftheirstatusas“economicallydisadvantaged”–astatuswhichis

obtainedthrougheligibilityforfreeorreducedlunch.

17



18

Table1PublicPre-KEnrollment*byStudentEligibility

Table1.Adaptedfrom TexasPublicEducationInformationResource(2011-2015).TexasEducationReports[Datafile].Available

fromhttp://www.texaseducationinfo.org/Note.*Thenumbersinthistableincludethreeandfour-year-oldchildreninthePre-Kprogram

**Forschoolyears2011-12and2012-13,homelessandfostercaredataarenotavailable.

Source:2014-2015TexasPublicPrekindergartenProgramsandEnrollmentAges3and4Report

Second,amajorityofthepublicPre-KpopulationinTexasiscomprisedoffour-year-old

children.Furthermore,approximately50%ofthreeandfour-year-oldPre-Kstudentsattend

full-dayprograms(4+hours)asopposedtohalf-dayprograms(2-3hours).

Table2PublicPre-KEnrollmentbyProgramTypeandAgeforthe2014-2015SchoolYear

Table2.AdaptedfromTexasPublicEducationInformationResource(2011-2015).TexasEducationReports[Datafile].Available

fromhttp://www.texaseducationinfo.org/

Third,asshowninthefigurebelow,themajorityofstudentsinTexasPre-Kprogramsareofthe

Hispanic/Latinoethnicity.

18



19

Figure4

Figure4.PublicPre-KEnrollmentbyEthnicityfor2014-2015SchoolYear.AdaptedfromTexasPublicEducationInformation

Resource(2011-2015).TexasEducationReports[Datafile].Availablefromhttp://www.texaseducationinfo.org/

Fourth,thetablebelowrevealsthat43%offour-year-oldsinTexasarenotinpublicPre-Kor

HeadStartprograms.However,theymightbeinanalternativetypeofformalorinformalcare

whichincludesnon-educationalenvironments.

Table3PublicPre-KEnrollmentbyAgeforthe2014-2015SchoolYear

Table3.AdaptedfromTexasPublicEducationInformationResource(2011-2015).TexasEducationReports[Datafile].Available

fromhttp://www.texaseducationinfo.org/.

19



20

HistoryandBackgroundofPre-KFundingAccordingtoNIEER,in2015,Texasranked30

thacrossthenationinperpupilPre-Kspendingas

seeninthegraphbelow(Barnettetal.,2016):

Figure5

Figure5.2014-2015PerPupilPre-KSpendingbyState.ModifiedfromBarnett,W.S.,Friedman-Krauss,A.H.,Gomez,R.E.,

Horowitz,M.,Weisenfeld,G.G.,ClarkBrown,K.,&Squires,J.H.(2016).Thestateofpreschool2015:Statepreschoolyearbook.

RetrievedfromtheNationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch:http://nieer.org/wp-

content/uploads/2016/05/Yearbook_2015_rev1.pdfNote.NoPre-KprogramsinIdaho,Indiana***,Montana,NewHampshire,NorthDakota,SouthDakota,Utah,andWyoming.

*Vermontcouldnotbreakoutthestate,local,andfederalspendingfromthetotalamountreported.Vermontalsoprovided

updatedspendinginformationforthe2013-2014schoolyear,whichisreflectedinthecalculationsofchangeinspending.

**13663-year-oldchildrenwereservedinWV'sUniversalPre-Kprogrambutwerefundedbysourcesnotreportedbythestate.

Theywereremovedfromtheper-childspendingcalculations.Asimilaradjustmentwasmadefor2013-2014.

***Indianafundedapilotstatepre-Kprogramduringthe2014-2015year.Itspentabout$1.1milliontoenroll4154-year-olds.

Itisnotincludedintherankingsbecausetheprogramservedfewerthan1%of4-year-olds.

In2011,the82ndTexaslegislaturecutapproximately$300millioninPre-Kfunding,including

$208millionfromthePre-KEarlyStartGrantProgram.ThisreductioninPre-Kfundingwaspart

ofthelarger$5.4billionthatwascutfromthepubliceducationstatebudget.

In2012-2013,CHILDRENATRISKconductedayearlongassessmenttoevaluatetheimpactof

the$5.4billionbudgetcutonstudentsandclassroomsinTexas.Intheyearlongassessment

supportedbytheMeadowsFoundationandTEGAC,CHILDRENATRISKsurveyeddistrictsacross

thestate,ultimatelyreleasingthestudy’sfindingsinareporttitledDoingMorewithLess?

20



21

PublicEducationinaNewFiscalReality.Throughthestudy,CHILDRENATRISKlearnedthat

districtsinTexashadbeenforcedtomakeoneoftwochoicesregardingtheirPre-Kprograms:

eitherreducePre-KaccessorreallocatelimitedfundingtokeepthePre-Kprogramsalive.

CHILDRENATRISKsurveyed631traditionalindependentschooldistrictsoutof1,013(62%

responserate).The631districtsthatrespondedaccountedforapproximately73%ofstudents

enrolledinTexas’publiceducationsystem.Thedemographicsofschooldistrictsurvey

respondentsgenerallymatchedtheoveralldemographicsofschooldistrictsinthestate.

Analysisofsurveydataandsupplementaryresearchyieldedseveralkeyfindings.Overall,local

schooldistrictswantedfull-dayPre-Ktobetterpreparestudentsforsuccessinelementary

school,butadequatefundingwasachallenge:

1. 78%ofrespondingdistrictsofferedsometypeofexpandedPre-Kprogramusinggeneral

operatingfunds.

2. 50%reporteddistrictsreportedthattheywouldprefertoallocatefundingtoexpand

theirexistinghalf-dayprogramstofull-dayprograms.

3. 73%reporteddistrictsreportedinadequatefundingasabarriertoPre-Kexpansion.

Asseeninthegraphbelow,cutsinthestatePre-Kbudget($300million)werepartiallyrestored

in2015whenthe84thTexasLegislaturepassedHouseBill4[HB4](Smith,2015).HB4created

theHighQualityPre-KGrantProgram,whichallocated$118millionofadditionalfundingto

supporthighqualityPre-KprogramsineligibleschooldistrictsthroughoutTexas.Participating

schooldistrictsreceivedthisadditionalfundinginthecurrent2016-2017schoolyear.

Figure6

Figure6.ChangesinTexasPre-KFundingfrom2011to2015.AdaptedfromSmith,M.(2015,February26).Housetakesthelead

onAbbott’spre-kchange.RetrievedNovember30,2016,fromhttps://www.texastribune.org/2015/02/26/huberty-prek/

21



22

TexasPre-KQuality

TheNationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch(NIEER)atRutgersUniversityranksstate

Pre-Kprogramsacrossthenationutilizing10research-basedPre-Kqualitybenchmark

standards.In2014-2015,Texas’Pre-Kprogramonlymettwoofthe10NIEERqualityPre-K

benchmarks.

Table4NumberofQualityBenchmarksTexas’Pre-KProgramMetin2014-2015

Table4.AdaptedfromBarnett,W.S.,Friedman-Krauss,A.H.,Gomez,R.E.,Horowitz,M.,Weisenfeld,G.G.,ClarkBrown,K.,&

Squires,J.H.(2016).Thestateofpreschool2015:Statepreschoolyearbook.RetrievedfromtheNationalInstituteforEarly

EducationResearch:http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Yearbook_2015_rev1.pdf.

Ofcourse,these“inputs”alonedonotcreatehigh-qualityPre-K.However,withoutthem,Texas

willlikelycontinuetoprovideinconsistentaccesstoaqualityearlyeducationandnotmaximize

thepositiveoutcomesmadepossiblebyhighqualityPre-K.Neighboringstateswithsimilar

challengeshavebeguntoaddressPre-Kquality.LawmakersinLouisiana,Alabama,Mississippi,

Oklahoma,andNewMexicorecentlylegislatedatleasteightoutofthe10NIEERquality

standards(Barnettetal.,2016).

AddressingTexasPre-KQualitythroughHouseBill4

In2015,the84thTexasLegislaturepassedHouseBill4(HB4),whichcreatedtheHighQuality

Pre-KGrantProgramthatallocated$118millionofadditionalfundingforthe2016-2017school

yeartowardstheexpansionofPre-Kprogramsineligibleschooldistricts.Inordertoqualify,

schooldistrictswererequiredtomeetPre-KqualitystandardsoutlinedbytheLegislatureinHB

4.

UndertheHighQualityPre-KGrantProgram,participatingschooldistrictscouldreceiveupto

$1,500perstudentinadditionalPre-Kfunding.However,giventhelargenumberofschool

22



23

districtsthatbothapplied(600/1,200)andqualifiedfortheadditionalPre-Kfunding,theHigh

QualityPre-KGrantProgramwasonlyabletooffereachdistrict$367perstudent(Collier,

2016).

Becauseofthelowerperstudentfundinglevel,21ofthedistrictsthatappliedultimatelychose

nottoreceivetheextrafunding.Theadditional$367perstudentwasnotsufficienttofully

coverthecostsofaqualitypre-Kprogram.Consequently,these21districts(mostlyinrural

areas),exitedtheprogrambeforeitbegan.InaninterviewwiththeTexasTribune,MikeKelley

–SuperintendentofSpringtownISD,explainedwhyhisdistrictchosetooptoutoftheHigh

QualityPre-KGrantProgram:

“Wehadhopedtobenefitfromsignificantlymoreper-studentfundingthroughthe

grant…Uponreceivingnotificationofawardandreviewingtheproposedallotment,it

wasdeterminedthattheresourceallocations(human,fiscal,andphysical)requiredto

meettheenhancedstandardsandcurricularrequirementsweretoosignificant....We

simplycouldnotaffordtoimplementtheprogram”(Collier,2016).

EligibleschooldistrictsthatchoosetoimplementtheHighQualityPre-KGrantProgrammust

meetthefollowingrequirementsoutlinedinHB4:

Table5RequirementsforDistrictsImplementingtheHigh-QualityPre-KGrantProgram

Table5.AdaptedfromTex.H.B.4,84thLeg.,R.S.(2015).

QUANTITATIVEFINDINGS

Backgroundofthe2015STAARReadingAssessmentTheSTAAREnglishReadingassessmentadministeredin2015consistedof40multiplechoice

questions.Therawscoresfromtheassessmenthavecorresponding“scalescores.”These

scoresstandardizeperformancebyadjustingfortestdifficultyandallowingforcomparison

acrossmultipletests.The2015assessmentresultedinascalescorerangeof765-1908.

23



24

Studentstakingtheassessmentplacedinoneofthreelevelsofperformancebasedontheirraw

score:LevelI(Unsatisfactory),LevelII(Satisfactory),andLevelIII(Advanced).Inthe2015STAAR

EnglishReadingassessment,studentswhoanswered21of40questionscorrectly(52.5%)met

theLevelII(Satisfactory)passingstandardconsistingofascalescoreof1337.

TheSTAARSpanishReadingassessmentadministeredin2015alsoconsistedof40multiple

choicequestions.FortheSTAARSpanishReadingassessment,thescalescorerangewas620-

1990,andsimilartotheEnglishversion,therewerethreelevelsofperformancestudents

placedinbasedontheirrawscore:LevelI(Unsatisfactory),LevelII(Satisfactory),andLevelIII

(Advanced).Inthe2015STAARSpanishReadingassessment,studentswhoanswered21of40

questionscorrectly(52.5%)mettheLevelIIpassingstandardconsistingofascalescoreof1318.

TheTEAdeterminestheminimumscalescoreastudentneedstoreachinordertobe

consideredpassing.TheTEAincreasestheminimumscalescoreforpassingeveryyearwiththe

goalofeventuallyincreasingtheminimumrequiredscalescoreto1468in2022.Ascalescore

of1468forLevelIIperformancewillrequirestudentstoanswer30of40(75%)questions

correctly(TEA,2016b).

Thefollowingtableoutlineshowtheminimumscalescoreforpassingwillprogressively

increaseeachyearfrom2015-2022.

Table6English:3

rdGradeSTAARReadingPerformanceStandard

Table6.AdaptedfromTexasEducationAgency.(2016b).STAARPerformanceStandards.RetrievedNovember23,2016,from

http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar/performance-standards/

SegmentationofStudentGroups

ThisstudyexaminedtherelationshipbetweenpublicPre-Kattendanceinthe2010-2011school

yearandaverage3rdgradereadingscalescoresinthe2014-2015STAARReadingassessmentin

EnglishandSpanish.Thesampleconsistedof19,323studentsacross509schoolsencompassing

24



25

fivemajorISD’sinTexas:AustinISD,DallasISD,FortWorthISD,HoustonISDandSanAntonio

ISD.

Thisstudycontrolledforsocio-economicstatus;onlystudentswhowereconsidered

“economicallydisadvantaged”intheTEAPublicEducationInformationManagementSystem

(PEIMS)systemwereincludedintheanalysis.Studentswhoareeligibleforfreeorreduced-

pricemealsundertheNationalSchoolLunchandChildNutritionProgramareconsidered

“economicallydisadvantaged”bytheTEA(2011b).

Thestudysegmentedeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsintothefollowinggroupsto

observetheassociationbetweenvaryinglevelsof2010-2011Pre-Kparticipationand2014-2015

3rdgradeSTAARReadingoutcomes:

1. NoPre-K:Studentsclassifiedas“NoPre-K”werenotfoundattendingpublicPre-Kinoneofthestudy’sschooldistricts.Thesestudentscouldhavebeenininformalchildcare,

formalchildcare,HeadStart,oranotherdistrictPre-Kprogramoutsidethestudygroup.

2. Half-DayPre-K:Studentsclassifiedas“Half-DayPre-K”werefoundattendinghalf-dayPre-Kinthestudy’sschooldistricts.Half-dayPre-Kinthe2010-2011schoolyear

consistedofapproximatelythreehoursofactivitiesandinstruction.

3. Half-DayPre-KandAorBSchool:Studentsclassifiedas“Half-DayandAorBSchool”

werefoundattendinghalf-dayPre-Kinthestudy’sschooldistricts.Half-dayPre-Kinthe

2010-2011schoolyearconsistedofapproximatelythreehoursofactivitiesand

instruction.Additionally,thesestudentstookthe3rdgradeSTAARReadingEnglishor

Spanishassessmentin2015ataschoolwithaCHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolranking.

SchoolswithaCHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolrankingaretopperformingschoolsin


4. Full-DayPre-K:Studentsclassifiedas“Full-Day”werefoundattendingfull-daypublicPre-Kinthestudy’sschooldistricts.

5. Full-DayandAorBSchool:Studentsclassifiedas“Full-DayandAorBSchool”werefoundattendingfull-daypublicPre-Kinthestudy’sschooldistricts.Additionally,these

studentstookthe3rdgradeSTAARReadingEnglishorSpanishassessmentin2016ata

schoolwitha2016CHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolranking.SchoolswithaCHILDRENAT

RISKAorBschoolrankingaretopperformingschoolsinthestateduetostudentgrowth

andacademicachievementinmathandreading.

6. QualityPre-K:Studentsclassifiedas“QualityPre-K”werefoundattendingpublicPre-Kinoneoftheaforementionedindependentschooldistrictswherethefollowingquality

controlswereused:2010-2011full-daypublicPre-Kprogramofferedatthedistrictlevel,

anaverageKindergartenclasssizeof20atthecampuslevel(cutoffbasedonthe

25



26

classroomsizequalitystandardsetbyNIEER),anddistrictPre-Kspendingatorabove

the2011-2012Stateaverage(2010-2011Pre-Kspendingdataunavailable).

7. QualityPre-KandAorBSchool.Studentsclassifiedas“QualityPre-KandAorBSchool”

werefoundattendingpublicPre-KinoneoftheaforementionedISD’swherethe

followingqualitycontrolswereused:2010-2011full-daypublicPre-Kprogramofferedat

thedistrictlevel,anaverageKindergartenclasssizeof20atthecampuslevel(cutoff

basedontheclassroomsizequalitystandardsetbyNIEER),anddistrictPre-Kspending

atorabovethe2011-2012Stateaverage(2010-2011Pre-Kspendingdataunavailable).

Additionally,thesestudentsalsotookthe3rdgradeSTAARReadingEnglishorSpanish

assessmentin2015ataschoolwitha2016CHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolranking.

SchoolswithaCHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolrankingaretopperformingschoolsin


KeyFindings

Overall,thisstudyfindsthat,onaverage,economicallydisadvantagedstudentswhoattended

high-qualitypublicPre-Kin2010scoredhigheronthe20153rdGradeSTAARReading

assessmentthaneconomicallydisadvantagedstudentswhodidnotattendpublicPre-Korthose

whoattendedlowerqualitypublicPre-K.

1.Full-DayPre-KWorks:

Fortheoverwhelminglymajorityofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,thedatasuggests

thatstudentswhoattendfull-daypublicPre-Kscorehigheronthe3rdgradeSTAARReading

assessmentthaneconomicallydisadvantagedstudentswhodonotattendpublicPre-Kor

attendhalf-daypublicPre-K.Foreconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,theoddsofreadingata

college-readypace11are40%higheriftheyattendedfull-daypublicPre-K.

12

26



27

Figure7

Figure7.AdaptedfromTexasEducationAgency(2015).StudentAssessmentPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/;TexasEducationAgency(2011-2015).PEIMSPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].

Availablefromhttp://tea.texas.gov/Reports_and_Data/Student_Data/Standard_Reports/PEIMS_Standard_Reports_Overview/

Onaverage,studentswhodidnotattendPre-Kscoredmarginallyhigherthanthe2015

minimumscoreof1331requiredtobeconsideredpassing.Whilebothgroupsofstudents

reachedthisminimum2015passingscalescore,onaverage,studentswhoattendedfull-day

Pre-Kmetandsurpassedthemorerigorouspassingscoreof1365.Ascoreof1365isthe2017

scorethatstudentsarerequiredtomeetinordertopasstheassessment.Furthermore,forthe

studentsattendingfull-dayPre-K,theiraveragescalescorewasclosertothemorerigorous

2018passingscalescoreof1386.Ascalescoreof1386isthe2018scalescorethatstudentswill

berequiredtomeetinordertopassthe3rdgradeSTAARReadingassessment.Inthethird

finding,thereisin-depthanalysisofhowstudentswhohadbothahigh-qualityPre-Keducation

andahigh-qualityKindergarten-3rdgradeeducationoutperformed,especiallyinlightofthe

progressivelyhigherpassingscorestudentswillberequiredtomeetintheupcomingyears.

Analysisof19,323economicallydisadvantagedstudentsinover500elementaryschoolsacross

AustinISD,DallasISD,FortWorthISD,HoustonISDandSanAntonioISDalsoshowedthe

following:Foreconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,theoddsofreadingatacollege-ready

pace13are40%higheriftheyattendedfull-daypublicPre-K.

14

ThisparticularanalysisusedaPearsonChi-Squaretesttoexplorethelikelihoodthat2010-2011

Pre-Kenrollmentwasnotassociatedwithpassingthe20153rdGradeSTAARReading

assessment.ThisChi-Squaretestfoundthatitwashighlyunlikelythatthesetwovariableswere

notrelated.Inotherwords,therewasasignificantassociationbetweenfull-dayPre-Kfor

economicallydisadvantagedstudentsandwhetherornotthesestudentsachievedtheLevelII

27



28

FinalRecommendedstandardonthe20153rdGradeSTAARReadingassessmentχ2(1)(60.54,

p<.001).

Thisseemstorepresentthefactthat,basedontheoddsratio,theoddsforlow-incomestudents

achievingthe2015STAARLevelIIFinalRecommendedonthe3rdGradeReadingassessment

were1.38(1.27,1.49)timeshigheriftheyattendedafull-dayPre-Kin2010-2011thaniftheydid

not:economicallydisadvantagedstudentsthatattendedpublicPre-Kin2010-2011had40%

higheroddsofpassingthe2015STAARReadingassessmentthanthosethatdidnot.

2.InvestmentinHighQualityPre-KProducesResults:

FordistrictsthatspentmoreperstudentonPre-Kthanthe2014-2015stateaverageof$3,327,

therewasastrongerpositiverelationshipbetweenPre-Kenrollmentand3rdgradeSTAAR

Readingscores.

Thescatterplotbelowshowstherelationshipbetweenthepercentageofstudentsenrolledin

Pre-Kataschooldistrictandtheircorrespondingaverage3rdgradeSTAARReadingscalescores.

Figure8

Figure8.AdaptedfromTexasEducationAgency(2015).StudentAssessmentPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Available

fromhttp://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/;TexasEducationAgency(2016).STAARAggregateDatafor2014-2015[Data

file].http://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing/State_of_Texas_Assessments_of_Academic_Readiness_

%28STAAR%29/STAAR_Aggregate_Data_for_2014-2015/.TexasEducationAgency(2011-2015).PEIMSPublicInformation

Request[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://tea.texas.gov/Reports_and_Data/Student_Data/Standard_Reports/PEIMS_Standard_Reports_Overview/

28



29

ThispotentiallysuggeststhatPre-KfundingisanecessarycomponentforcreatingqualityPre-K

conditionsthatareassociatedwithhigher3rdgradeSTAARReadingoutcomes.

Conversely,thegraphbelowshowstherelationshipbetweenthepercentageofstudents

enrolledin2010-2011Pre-Kand2014-2015average3rdgradeSTAARReadingfordistrictsthat

spentbelowthe2015-2016statespendingaverageof$3,300perstudentonPre-K.The

relationshipbetweenPre-Kattendanceand3rdgradeSTAARReadingscoresisweakforthese

districts.

Figure9




3.QualityK-3Matters:

Fortheoverwhelminglymajorityofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,thedatasuggestsa

qualityPre-KeducationandaqualityKindergarten-3rdgradeeducation

makesthebiggest

impact.Thegraphbelowshowstheaverage3

rdgradeEnglishSTAARscalescoreforthreegroupsof

students:“NoPre-K,”“Half-DayPre-KandQualityK-3”and“QualityPre-KandQualityK-3”:

29



30

Figure10

Figure10.AdaptedfromCHILDRENATRISK(2016).2016SchoolRankings[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://www.childrenatrisk.org/;TexasEducationAgency(2011-2015).PEIMSPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Available

fromhttp://tea.texas.gov/Reports_and_Data/Student_Data/;TexasEducationAgency(2015).StudentAssessmentPublic

InformationRequest[Datafile].Availablefromhttp://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/.

Onaverage,economicallydisadvantagedstudentswithsomePre-K(half-dayorfull-day)anda

qualityKindergarten-3rdgradeeducationscoredsignificantlyhigherthanstudentswithNoPre-

Katall.

Onaverage,economicallydisadvantagedstudentswithbothhalf-dayPre-Kandaquality

Kindergarten-3rdgradeeducationmetandsurpassedtheminimum2015,2016,2017,and2018

passingscalescores.

EconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsthathadbothaqualityPre-KandaqualityKindergarten-

3rdgradeeducationhadanaveragescalescoreof1431,whichexceedstheminimumpassing

scalescorestudentswillhavetoreachin2019and2020,1406and1427respectively.

Thisdatasuggestseconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsbenefitthemostfrombothquality

Pre-KandaqualityKindergarten-3rdgradeexperience,highlightingthecriticalimportanceofa

qualityeducationalexperiencefromPre-Kthrough3rdgrade.

30



31

GrahamElementary,aGoldRibbonSchoolTobroadenourunderstandingofthewaysinwhichbothahigh-qualityPre-Kandahigh-quality

Kindergarten-3rdgradeeducationmakesadifference,welookedatGrahamElementarySchool

inAustinISD,whichisagoldribbonschool.GoldRibbonisaperformanceindicatordesignedby

CHILDRENATRISKtosignifyschoolsthatarehighperformingandhighpoverty.ToobtainGold

Ribbonstatusaschoolmustbemorethan75%economicallydisadvantagedandmustreceive

anCHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolranking.SchoolswithaCHILDRENATRISKAorBschool

rankingaretopperformingschoolsinthestateduetostudentgrowthandacademic

achievementinmathandreading.

Thegraphbelowshowstheaveragescalescoresforeconomicallydisadvantaged3rdgradersat

GrahamElementarybyPre-KProgramtype.

Figure11

Figure11.AdaptedfromTexasEducationAgency(2011-2015).PEIMSPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://tea.texas.gov/Reports_and_Data/Student_Data/Standard_Reports/PEIMS_Standard_Reports_Overview/;Texas

EducationAgency(2015).StudentAssessmentPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/Onaverage,economicallydisadvantagedstudentswhohadbothfull-dayPre-Kandaquality

Kindergarten-3rdgradeeducationscoredsignificantlyhigherthanstudentswithNoPre-Katall.

Economicallydisadvantagedstudentsthathadbothfull-dayPre-KandaqualityKindergarten-

3rdgradeeducationatGrahamElementaryhadanaveragescalescoreof1516,whichexceeds

theminimumpassingscalescorestudentswillhavetoreachineveryyearfrom2015through

31



32

2022.A3rdgradestudentwithascalescoreof1516needstoansweratleast80%ofthe

questionscorrectlyontheEnglish3rdgradeSTAARReadingassessment,makingthatscalescore

particularlyrigorous.

TheexampleatGrahamElementaryfurtherhighlightshowcriticallyimportantitistoprovide

economicallydisadvantagedstudentswithbothqualityPre-KandaqualityKindergarten-3rd

gradeexperience.

AverageSTAAREnglishReadingPerformancebyRace/EthnicityInordertobetterunderstandtheeffectofPre-K,welookedattheassociationbetween2010-

2011qualityPre-Kand2014-20153rdgradeSTAAREnglishReadingscoresbyrace/ethnicity.

Figure12




EconomicallydisadvantagedHispanic,black,andstudentswithlimitedEnglishproficiency(LEP)

whohadaqualityPre-Kexperiencein2010-2011outperformedothersimilareconomically

disadvantagedstudentswithnoPre-Katallonthe2014-20153rdgradeSTAAREnglishReading

assessment.Thisdifferencewasmostnotableforblackstudents.Blackstudentswithquality

Pre-KoutperformedblackstudentswithnoPre-Kby33points.

32



33

QUALITATIVEFINDINGSImpactofPre-KatGoldRibbonSchools(HighPoverty,HighPerforming)TobroadenourunderstandingevenfurtherofthewaysinwhichPre-Kdoesordoesnotmakea

noticeabledifferenceinTexaselementaryschools,weconductedasetofin-depth,semi-

structuredinterviewswithprincipalsofGoldRibbonschools.

Thechartbelowprovidesanoverviewoftheschoolsinthestudy’ssample.Inadditiontothe

GoldRibbonindicators,wehaveincludedotherfieldstoprovidebackgroundinformation

regardingthesample.GrowthIndexcapturesimprovementovertimeinstandardizedtest

scores;PerformanceIndexcapturesperformanceontheStudentAchievementindicatorsusing

valuesadjustedforthepercentageofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsateachcampus

and;AchievementIndexreflectsrawperformanceinkeyacademicareasdeterminedbySTAAR

examscores.

Table7AcademicPerformanceofGoldRibbonSchoolsinTexas

Table7.AdaptedfromCHILDRENATRISK(2016).2016ElementarySchoolRankings[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://www.childrenatrisk.org/

Thesamplewascomprisedoffivehighperforming,economicallydisadvantagedschoolsin

Texas.Theseschoolswerechosenbasedonthefollowingcriteria:theschoolswerepreviously

measuredthroughCHILDRENATRISK’sannualschoolrankings;duringtherankingsprocess

theywerehonoredasGoldRibbonschoolsand;theyofferdevelopedPre-Kprograms.The

purposeofthisstudywastodiscoverprevalentpatternsregardingtheroleofPre-Kinschools,

aswellassupportourexistingquantitativefindingsthatPre-Kisakeycomponenttoacademic

success.

Fourmainresearchquestionsguidedthestudy:(1)Whatcanyoutellusaboutthestudentsat

yourschoolthatdoordonotattendPre-K;isthereanynoticeabledifference?(2)Inyour

opinion,istherearelationshipbetweenattendingPre-KandKindergartenreadiness?(3)Are

thereanybestpracticesatthePre-KorK-3levelthatyoubelievecontributedtoyourschool’s

GoldRibbonstatus?(4)HowdoyouengagethefamiliesofstudentswhoattendPre-K?

Acrosstheseschoolswefoundseveraltrends.Threemainthemesconsistentlycutacrossthe

dataandcapturedtheimpactofPre-KonelementaryschoolsandstudentsinTexas:students

33



34

whoattendPre-KarebetterpreparedforKindergarten;studentswhoattendPre-Karemore

advancedacrossreadingmeasuresand;studentswhoattendPre-Karewell-adjustedto

classroomenvironment.

Pre-KChildrenAreBetterPreparedforKindergartenAsawhole,theprincipalsreportedthatthePre-Kprogramsattheirschoolshavesignificant

impactontheirstudents’Kindergartenreadinesslevels.StudentswhoattendPre-Karemore

independentandmorelikelytobecomfortableintheschoolsettingawayfromtheirparents.

Thesestudentshaveagreaterunderstandingofwhatschoolisandwhatisexpectedofthem,

andaremorelikelytounderstandhealthysocialbehaviorinrelationtoteachersandother

students.Incontrast,thestudentswhodonotattendPre-Kexperiencenoticeabledeficits

academically,socially,andenvironmentallyuponenteringKindergarten.

Pre-KChildrenAreMoreAdvancedAcrossMultipleReadingMeasuresTheprincipalsalsonotedsignificantandvaluabledifferencesincognitivelevelsofstudentswho

attendPre-Kandthosewhodonot.StudentswhoattendPre-Kintheirschoolsaremorelikely

tobeplacedinadvancedreadinggroupsuponenteringKindergartenandthroughouttheir

elementaryyears.Thesestudentsarealsomorelikelytorecognizehighfrequencywordsand

sounds,andhaveoverallhigherlanguageandcomprehensionskills.

Pre-KChildrenAreWell-AdjustedtotheClassroomEnvironmentAllfiveprincipalsinthestudy’ssamplereportedthatstudentswhoattendPre-Karemorelikely

toadjusttoclassroomstructureandenvironment.Thestudentsintheirschoolswhoattend

Pre-Khaveagreaterunderstandingofappropriatebehavior,schoolroutine,andinteractions

withauthority.Moreover,thestudentswhoattendPre-Karemorelikelytopartnerwithother

studentsandengagewiththeirpeers.

Inaddition,thestudyrevealedthreeconsistentbestpracticesusedbythefiveprincipalsin

theirschools:verticalalignmentofcurriculum,collaborationamongststaff,andparent

engagement.

VerticalAlignmentofCurriculumStartinginPre-KisKeyTheprincipalsreportedthatverticalalignmentofcurriculumstartinginPre-Khasbeenakey

componenttoschoolsuccess.Theideaisthatthroughaheightenedemphasisonforward

planningandintentionalcurriculumdevelopmentstudentsexperiencehigherlevelsofcognitive

gains.

CollaborationAmongstStaffLeadstoOverallHigherEducationalOutcomesThefindingsfromtheinterviewsrevealedthatsuccessisgreaterwhenteachersengagein

grouplearningandcollaborationtodeterminebestpracticesandstrategiesintheclassroom.

Theprincipalsnotedthatconsistentcommunicationofgoalsamongststaff,aswellasastaff-

widecommitmenttoexcellenceandteamworkensureshighereducationaloutcomesfor

studentsatallgradelevels.

34



35

ParentEngagementisaCriticalComponentofaQualityPre-KProgramTheprincipalsdiscussedwithusthevariouswaysinwhichtheyengagetheparentsandfamilies

ofstudentswhoattendPre-Kattheirschools.Thecentralthemewasthat,overall,parents

wanttobeinvolvedintheirchild’seducationandwanttoknowhowtobestcontributeto

academicsuccess.Althoughthespecificitiesofinvolvementvary,schoolswithdevelopedPre-K

programshostregularparentworkshops,communityevents,ortrainingopportunities.

Threeconclusionscanbedrawnfromtheresultsofthisqualitativestudy:overall,thereisa

differenceintheacademicrigoranddevelopmentofkidswhoattendPre-K;enthusiastic

teacherswithastructuredcurriculumandinterestinplanningacrossgradelevelsishighly

efficientand;collaborationatastafflevelandaparentlevelarenecessaryforacademic

success,particularlyforstudentsenrolledinPre-K.

Inadditiontoconsistentandsaturatedfindings,wecansuggestthatthisstudyhashigh

externalvalidity.Asshownintheabovetable,theschoolsinthesamplewerechosenfrom

varyingdistrictsacrossthestate.Therefore,wecanpredictthatthestudy’sresultsare

generalizableandapplicableforotherhighperforming,economicallydisadvantagedschools.

Conclusion

Thethreekeyfindingsfromthis2016CHILDRENATRISKpolicyanalysis–Full-DayPre-KWorks,

InvestmentinHigherQualityPre-KProducesResults,QualityK-3Matters–arecorroborated

acrossourdata,literaturereview,andinterviewswithprincipalsthroughoutTexas.

Mostimportantly,theseoutcomesareconsistentwithfindingsfromotherstudies,includinga

recentstudyfromDukeUniversitythattrackedoveramillionstudentsover11years.Our

currentanalysisofqualityPre-KinTexasfindssimilartrends:HighqualityPre-K(withadequate

levelsoffunding)isassociatedwithsustainedgainsin3rdgradereadingasmeasuredbythe

TexasSTAARassessment.Furthermore,theenvironmentstudentsareinfollowingPre-Khasan

impactontheireducationalexperience;bothaqualityPre-Kexperienceandaquality

Kindergartenthrough3rdgradeexperiencemakesthebiggestdifferenceforeconomically

disadvantagedchildren.

Finally,whendiscussingwhatmakesthebiggestdifferenceatGoldRibbonschools,principals

stressedthesamequalitycomponentsthatPre-Kliteraturediscusses:directandquality

instruction,verticalalignmentofcurriculumstartinginPre-K,collaborationamongststaff,and

consistentparentengagement.

Overthepast50years,studiesonPre-Keducationhavemovedfromsamplesizesof123

(Schweinhartet.al,2005)tocurrentsamplesizesofoveronemillion(Dodgeet.al,2016).These

numerousstudies–differentinsizeandscope–havedemonstratedthathigh-qualityPre-K

instructionisassociatedwithpositiveandsustainedoutcomesforstudentsifthePre-K

interventionishigh-qualityandifthereisenoughsaturation.Equallyasimportant,these

studieshaveshownhigh-qualityPre-Kisnotasilverbullet.However,qualityPre-Kappearsto

35



36

beassociatedwithhighsocietalbenefitswhenexecutedintentionallyandwithinthequality

educationspectrumstartinginPre-Kandthrough3rdgrade.

PolicyRecommendations

Theresearchmakesitapparentthatinordertomaintainastrongworkforce,theStateofTexas

needstomovetowardsensuringalllow-incomechildrenhaveaccesstofull-dayqualityPre-K.

ThefollowingpolicyrecommendationswillmoveTexasinthatdirection:

1. Sustainthehigh-qualityPre-KGrantat$236millionforthebiennium.

2. Createsustainablefundingforhigh-qualityPre-Kthroughformulafunding.

3. LimitPre-Kclassroomstoamaximumof22students,allowingnomorethan11students

foreachteacheroraideinPre-Kclasseswithmorethan15students.

4. CreateanEarlyChildhoodthrough3rdGradeteachingcertificatetoprovideanoption

forteacherstogainin-depthexpertiseinearlyelementarygrades.

Giventheresearchshowingaqualityearlychildhoodeducationiscriticaltolong-termsuccess,

CHILDRENATRISKalsorecommendsthefollowingpolicychangesthatwouldstrengthenthe

qualityofeducationalserviceschildrenundertheageoffivereceive:

5. Increaseinter-agencycoordinationofchildcareandPre-Kdatasystemsthroughthe

EarlyChildhoodDatabaseSystemtoimproveoutcomesforchildrenandmaximize

efficiencyoftaxpayerdollars.

6. Increaselocalcoordinationofearlyeducationprogramsbysupportingpublic/private

partnershipsbetweenschooldistrictsandhigh-qualitychildcarecenters.

36



37

AppendixTableA13

rdGradeSTAARAverageScaleScoresNoPre-Kvs.QualityPre-K

TablesA1.AdaptedfromTexasEducationAgency(2011-2015).PEIMSPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://tea.texas.gov/Reports_and_Data/Student_Data/Standard_Reports/PEIMS_Standard_Reports_Overview/;Texas

EducationAgency(2015).StudentAssessmentPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/;TexasEducationAgency(2011).2010-2011DownloadofAEIS[Datafile].Available

fromhttps://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/aeis/2011/xplore/DownloadSelData.html;CHILDRENATRISK(2016).2016

ElementarySchoolRankings[Datafile].Availablefromhttp://www.childrenatrisk.org/.

37



38

References

Andrews,R.J.,Jargowsky,P.,&Kuhne,K.(2012).TheeffectsofTexas'targetedpre-

kindergartenprogramonacademicperformance(No.w18598).NationalBureauof

EconomicResearch.

Ansari,A.,&Winsler,A.(2013).Stabilityandsequenceofcenter-basedandfamilychildcare:

Linkswithlow-incomechildren'sschoolreadiness.ChildrenandYouthServicesReview,

35(2),358-366.

Aud,S.,Fox,M.A.,&KewalRamani,A.(2010).Statusandtrendsintheeducationofracialand

ethnicgroups.NCES2010-015.NationalCenterforEducationStatistics.

Barnett,W.S.(2011).Effectivenessofearlyeducationalintervention.Science,333(6045),975-

978.

Barnett,W.S.,Friedman-Krauss,A.H.,Gomez,R.E.,Horowitz,M.,Weisenfeld,G.G.,Clark

Brown,K.,&Squires,J.H.(2016).Thestateofpreschool2015:Statepreschoolyearbook.

RetrievedfromtheNationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch:http://nieer.org/wp-

content/uploads/2016/05/Yearbook_2015_rev1.pdf

Bassok,D.,Fitzpatrick,M.,Greenberg,E.,&Loeb,S.(2016).Within-andbetween-sectorquality

differencesinearlychildhoodeducationandcare.ChildDevelopment.

Campbell,F.A.,Pungello,E.P.,Burchinal,M.,Kainz,K.,Pan,Y.,Wasik,B.H.,...&Ramey,C.T.

(2012).Adultoutcomesasafunctionofanearlychildhoodeducationalprogram:an

AbecedarianProjectfollow-up.DevelopmentalPsychology,48(4),1033.

Campbell,F.,Conti,G.,Heckman,J.J.,Moon,S.H.,Pinto,R.,Pungello,E.,&Pan,Y.(2014).Early

childhoodinvestmentssubstantiallyboostadulthealth.Science,343(6178),1478-1485.

CenterontheDevelopingChild(2009).FiveNumberstoRememberAboutEarlyChildhood

Development(Brief).RetrievedNovember21,2016,from

www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

CHILDRENATRISK(2016).2016SchoolRankings[Datafile].Availablefrom

http://www.childrenatrisk.org/

Collier,K.(2016,July14).Someschoolsrejectingpareddownstatepre-kgrants.Retrieved

November23,2016,fromhttps://www.texastribune.org/2016/07/14/some-schools-

turning-down-state-pre-k-grants/

38



39

Dodge,K.A.,Bai,Y.,Ladd,H.F.,&Muschkin,C.G.(2016,November16).ImpactofNorth

Carolina'searlychildhoodprogramsandpoliciesoneducationaloutcomesin

elementaryschool[CT1].ChildDevelopment.doi:10.1111/cdev.12645

Dowsett,C.J.,Huston,A.C.,Imes,A.E.,&Gennetian,L.(2008).Structuralandprocessfeatures

inthreetypesofchildcareforchildrenfromhighandlowincomefamilies.Early

ChildhoodResearchQuarterly,23(1),69-93.

Duncan,G.J.,Magnuson,K.,&Votruba-Drzal,E.(2014).Boostingfamilyincometopromote

childdevelopment.TheFutureofChildren,24(1),99-120.

Friedman-Krauss,A.,Barnett,W.S.,&Nores,M.(2016).Howmuchcanhigh-qualityuniversal

pre-kreduceachievementgaps?Washington:CenterforAmericanProgress.

GormleyJr,W.T.,Phillips,D.,Adelstein,S.,&Shaw,C.(2010).HeadStart'scomparative

advantage:Mythorreality?.PolicyStudiesJournal,38(3),397-418.

Heckman,J.J.,Moon,S.H.,Pinto,R.,Savelyev,P.A.,&Yavitz,A.(2010).Therateofreturnto

theHighScopePerryPreschoolProgram.JournalofPublicEconomics,94(1),114-128.

Huston,A.,Gupta,A.,&Schexnayder,D.(2012).StudyofearlyeducationinTexas:The

relationshipofpre-kattendanceto3rdgradetestresults.

Jiang,Y.,Ekono,M.,&Skinner,C.(2016).Basicfactsaboutlow-incomechildren:Childrenunder

18Years,2014.FactSheet.NationalCenterforChildreninPoverty.

Lipsey,M.,Farran,D.,&Hofer,K.(2016).EffectsofaStatePrekindergartenProgramon

Children’sAchievementandBehaviorthroughThirdGrade.Nashville,TN:Peabody

ResearchInstitute.

Magnuson,K.A.,Ruhm,C.,&Waldfogel,J.(2007).Doesprekindergartenimproveschool

preparationandperformance?EconomicsofEducationreview,26(1),33-51.

Nores,M.,&Barnett,W.S.(2014).Accesstohighqualityearlycareandeducation:Readiness

andopportunitygapsinAmerica.NationalInstituteforEarlyEducationandCenteron

EnhancingEarlyLearningPolicyreport.NewBrunswick,NJ:CenteronEnhancingEarly

LearningOutcomes.AccessedFebruary,13,2015.

Ramey,C.T.(1974).TheCarolinaAbecedarianProject:Alongitudinalandmultidisciplinary

approachtothepreventionofdevelopmentalretardation.

Schweinhart,L.J.,Montie,J.,Xiang,Z.,Barnett,S.W.,Belfied,C.R.,&Nores,M.(2005).The

High/ScopePerryPreschoolStudyThroughAge40:Summary,Conclusions,and

FrequentlyAskedQuestions.Ypsilanti,MI:High/ScopePress.

39



40

Smith,M.(2015,February26).HousetakestheleadonAbbott’spre-kcharge.Retrieved

November30,2016,fromhttps://www.texastribune.org/2015/02/26/huberty-prek/

Tex.H.B.4,84thLeg.,R.S.(2015).

TexasEducationAgency(2011a).2010-2011DownloadofAEIS[Datafile].Availablefrom

https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/aeis/2011/xplore/DownloadSelData.html.

TexasEducationAgency.(2011b).Glossaryofterms:2010-11.RetrievedNovember23,2016,

fromhttps://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/acctres/gloss1011.html

TexasEducationAgency.(2011-2015).PEIMSPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].Available

fromhttp://tea.texas.gov/Reports_and_Data/Student_Data/Standard_Reports/PEIMS_S

tandard_Reports_Overview/

TexasPublicEducationInformationResource(2011-2015).TexasEducationReports[Datafile].

Availablefromhttp://www.texaseducationinfo.org/

TexasEducationAgency.(2014).FrequentlyAskedQuestionsAboutPrekindergarten.Retrieved

November30,2016,fromtea.texas.gov/ece/faq/full.aspx

TexasEducationAgency.(2015).StudentAssessmentPublicInformationRequest[Datafile].

Availablefromhttp://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/

TexasEducationAgency.(2016a).STAARAggregateDatafor2014-2015[Datafile].

http://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing/State_of_Texas_Asse

ssments_of_Academic_Readiness_%28STAAR%29/STAAR_Aggregate_Data_for_2014-

2015/

TexasEducationAgency.(2016b).STAARPerformanceStandards.RetrievedNovember23,

2016,fromhttp://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar/performance-standards/

TexasEducationAgency.(2016c).Texaspublicprekindergartenprogramsandenrollmentages3

and4.RetrievedNovember16,2016,from

www.texaseducationinfo.org/ViewReport.aspx

Zhai,F.,Waldfogel,J.,&Brooks-Gunn,J.(2013).HeadStart,prekindergarten,andacademic

schoolreadiness:AcomparisonamongregionsintheUnitedStates.Journalofsocial

serviceresearch,39(3),345-364.

40



41

ENDNOTES

1PublicPre-Kisdefinedasahalf-dayorfull-dayprogramofferedbyanindependentschooldistrictinTexas.Studentsclassified

as“NoPre-K”werenotfoundattendingpublicPre-KinAustinISD,DallasISD,FortWorthISD,HoustonISD,orSanAntonioISD.

Thesestudentscouldhavebeenininformalchildcare,formalchildcare,HeadStart,oranotherdistrictPre-Kprogramoutside

thestudygroup.

2CHILDRENATRISKanalyzed47,608

studentsacross17schooldistricts(seesubsequentendnoteforparticipatingschool

districts).Acrossthese17schooldistricts,anonymizedstudentlevelPre-KenrollmentdatafromtheTexasEducationAgency

wasusedtoestimatetheaveragepercentageofstudentsenrollinginPre-Kateachcampusanddistrict.Thisinformationwas

usedinconjunctionwithdistrictfinancialreportsfromtheTPEIRtoobservetherelationshipbetweentheaveragepercentage

ofstudentsattendingPre-KandaveragescalescoresfordistrictsspendingaboveandbelowthestateaverageinpublicPre-K.

Ofthe47,608students,wewereabletomatchstudent-levelanonymizedSpring2015STAARReadingscoreswith2010-2011

publicPre-Kenrollmentdataforapproximately20,000students.

3Twelveadditionalschooldistrictsincluded:AliefISD,ArlingtonISD,BrownsvilleISD,EdinburgCISD,GrandPrairieISD,Irving

ISD,ManorISD,MesquiteISD,PasadenaISD,PflugervilleISD,Pharr-SanJuanAlamoISD,SouthSanAntonioISD.Thesedistricts

wereselectedduetotheirproximitytothefivemajorurbanschooldistrictstheTexasEducationAgencyprovidedanonymized

studentleveldatafor.

4Thefollowingcontrolswereusedtodefinehigh-qualitypublicPre-K:2010-2011full-dayISDPre-Kprogramofferedatthe

districtlevel,anaverageKindergartenclasssizeof20atthecampuslevel(cutoffbasedonthequalityclassroomsizestandard

setbytheNationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch),anddistrictspendingatorabovethe2011-2012stateaverageof

$2,469per-student(2010-2011spendingdataunavailable).Studentsclassifiedas“NoPre-K”werenotfoundattendingPre-Kat

AustinISD,DallasISD,FortWorthISD,HoustonISD,orSanAntonioISD.Thesestudentscouldhavebeenininformalchildcare,

formalchildcare,HeadStart,oranotherdistrictPre-Kprogramoutsidethestudygroup.“LowerqualityPre-K”isdefinedas

half-daypublicPre-Kprogramoffereddistrict-wide.

5“Atacollege-readypace”definedasstudentsreachingthe2015STAARReadingLevelIIFinalrecommendedmetric.

6Methodology:Therewasasignificantassociationbetweenfull-dayPre-Kforeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsand

whetherornotlowincomestudentsachievedthefinalrecommendedlevelfortheir3rdgradeSTAARReadingscoresχ

2(1)

(60.54,p<.001).Thisseemstorepresentthefactthat,basedontheoddsratio,theoddsforlowincomestudentsachieving

STAARlevelIIrecommendedwere1.38(1.27,1.49)timeshigheriftheyattendedafull-daypublicPre-Kprogramthanifthey

didnot.

7Onlyschoolswithgreaterthan75%economicallydisadvantagedstudentsareincludedinthisdistrictanalysis.“Currentstate

average”definedastheaverageTexasGeneralFund2014-2015Pre-KprogramspendingperstudentinformationfromTPEIR.

8Thefollowingcontrolswereusedtodefinehigh-qualitypublicPre-K:2010-2011full-dayISDPre-Kprogramofferedatthe

districtlevel,anaverageKindergartenclasssizeof20atthecampuslevel(cutoffbasedonthequalityclassroomsizestandard

setbytheNationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch),anddistrictspendingatorabovethe2011-2012stateaverageof

$2,469per-student(2010-2011spendingdataunavailable).“QualityKindergartenthrough3rdGradeeducation”includesonly

schoolswithaCHILDRENATRISKAorBschoolranking.SchoolswithanAorBrankingaretopperformingschoolsinthestate

duetostudentgrowthandacademicachievementinmathandreading.

9ThisrequirementcanbewaivedifthecreationofPre-Krequiresbuildingnewfacilities.

10$3,600figurefromtheNIEERStateofPreschool2015Report.


12Methodology:Therewasasignificantassociationbetweenfull-dayPre-kforeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsand


2(1)


41



42


didnot.


14Methodology:Therewasasignificantassociationbetweenfull-dayPre-kforeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsand


2(1)



didnot.

42



Documents

Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Successthe 2014-2015 school year.2 These students began public Pre-K in 2010 and completed 3rd grade in 2015. The study focused on