Central OC Times

A recent study involving researchers from the University of California, Irvine School of Education has produced mixed results on the long-term impact of publicly funded U.S. preschool programs on student performance beyond early childhood. The study was published in Science.

"Children are learning well before kindergarten, and parents are working. What is less settled, however, is how much we should expect preschool to be shaping achievement and well-being later in life,” said Jade Jenkins, UC Irvine associate professor of education and co-author of the study.

The research team examined evaluations of the Head Start program and public prekindergarten initiatives in Boston and Tennessee. They found that while children saw academic benefits immediately after preschool, the long-term effects varied. This underscores that not all early education programs guarantee favorable results, prompting a call for more research on effective preschool interventions.

Two key studies conducted in the 1960s and 1970s – the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian projects – have shaped common beliefs about early childhood education. These studies demonstrated that early education led to better scholastic outcomes, income levels, employment rates and health while reducing criminal behavior. However, these investigations focused on projects over five decades old, suggesting that current preschool initiatives should undergo modern assessments.

"The proven long-term success of early programs like Perry Preschool showed what’s possible with very intensive preschool programs. But policymakers need to know if lessons from Perry hold for today’s programs," said Greg Duncan, Distinguished Professor at UC Irvine School of Education.

Given these mixed findings, Duncan and his fellow authors recommend follow-up evaluations of existing random-assignment and lottery studies to learn whether early education programs correlate to successful outcomes in adulthood.

"The good news for society is that we have invested dramatically more over the past 50 years in programs designed to help young children and families,” said Drew Bailey, Professor at UC Irvine School of Education. “But with such improvements come practical challenges."

The team proposes further research to uncover the essential components of preschool success, focusing on identifying cognitive and socioemotional skills that yield enduring benefits. They also encourage policymakers and researchers to prioritize rigorous evidence around early childhood education programs in hopes of propelling their evolution and implementation.