Description:
This study is the second in a series of studies on the impact of the Head Start full-day prekindergarten (pre-K) program in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the third report on the impact of the pre-K program overall. Prekindergarten and Head Start programs are located in 62 of 130 elementary schools in Montgomery County. This study used a rigorous quasi-experimental design to compare the performance of students who attended the Head Start full-day program in 2008-2009 with that of students who attended half-day programs. The analyses tested the statistical as well as practical significance of the difference between reading and mathematics achievement of students in the Head Start full-day program compared with the half-day programs.
Recommendations:
Follow up with students to examine lasting effects of participation in MCPS pre-K programs when students are in Kindergarten through Grade 3.Establish a mechanism to ensure that schools enter complete assessment data for all students enrolled.Continue to examine, compile, and share best practices in implementing the Head Start full-day program from year to year to increase the fidelity of implementation of the program.Reexamine the assessments, particularly the mathematics assessments, to ensure that tests not only emphasize basic concepts in the curriculum but also tap other types of preschool learning.
File Name:
Impact of Full-day Pre-K Program Second Cohort Results 09_21.pdf (1MB PDF)
