Researchers explore the effectiveness of different preschool pathways for low-income children, specifically comparing Head Start and state pre-kindergarten (pre–k) programs. They assess the impact of funding two years of Head Start versus a combination of one year of Head Start followed by one year of pre–k. Analyzing data from an Oklahoma pre–k study, the team investigates the outcomes of children who experienced Head Start at age 3 transitioning to pre–k at age 4 against those who continued Head Start at age 4. Their findings reveal that children attending Head Start at age 3 and moving to pre-k at age 4 exhibit stronger pre-reading skills than those in Head Start at age 4. Notably, the effect of pre–k on early reading skills exceeds that of Head Start by a significant margin. The difference in program design and curriculum experiences at age 4 seems to influence these variations in skill development. The study emphasizes the importance of exploring these preschool pathways further across diverse program settings to comprehend their distinct impacts and the underlying reasons for their effectiveness.

The Head Start program, established in 1965, aims to enhance the school readiness of low-income children by providing comprehensive services, including education, health, and family support. This approach targets children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development, health, and family well-being. Researchers using the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS) examined if the program effectively supports at-risk children. By creating risk factors based on the program model, they aimed to determine if Head Start benefits children with higher risk profiles. Results showed a mix of outcomes: while there was no significant improvement in high-risk children’s pre-academic skills, teacher-reported behavior problems were slightly reduced, contrasting with maternal-reported behavior problems, which increased. This suggests Head Start might better address behavioral aspects than pre-academic readiness. The study highlighted the need for better tailoring services to high-risk children, especially in cognitive development, indicating the importance of ongoing research to enhance Head Start's responsiveness to individual needs for better outcomes in school readiness.

In the U.S., school performance is a pressing concern, leading to policies like grade retention for struggling students. Several factors influence retention, including poverty, behavioral issues, and academic struggles. However, methodological flaws in previous studies have hindered a clear understanding of these predictors. A new study used robust methods and data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort to analyze grade retention predictors. It found that academic readiness, particularly in reading, math, and general knowledge, strongly influenced retention, surpassing previously identified risk factors like ethnicity, English proficiency, and poverty. Interestingly, once readiness was considered, these traditional risk factors showed no significant influence. Notably, grade retention tended to occur most often by third grade. Researchers provide crucial insights for educators and policymakers to identify and support at-risk students earlier, emphasizing the importance of academic readiness in preventing grade retention.

New research investigates early absenteeism in elementary school, particularly in kindergarten, exploring factors contributing to chronic absence. While existing studies focus on individual and family-level drivers like disengagement and family structure, limited attention has been given to how early childhood programs might impact absenteeism. Analyzing a national dataset, a study reveals that attending center-based care before kindergarten associates with lower chronic absenteeism in kindergarten. However, this link isn't observed when attending such care during the kindergarten year, suggesting that pre-kindergarten experiences shape school attendance more than concurrent reinforcement during kindergarten. Chronic absenteeism affects California's educational and social systems, leading to significant costs and limiting children's potential. The findings emphasize the influential role of early childhood programs in reducing absenteeism, urging a shift from identifying contextual factors to implementing early interventions to counteract this detrimental behavior. This study's insights offer valuable data to inform truancy reduction initiatives and discussions on preventive measures.

The change in California's kindergarten entry age, moving the cutoff date from December 2 to September 1, brought about transitional kindergarten for affected children born in the transitional period. This impacted both those who delayed entry and those who didn't. Older entrants might show better readiness and learning skills compared to younger peers, a reason why parents often choose to delay their child's entry ("redshirting"). However, the benefits of this additional year might vary based on available activities. The shift also influences non-delayed children due to grade age averages affecting peer dynamics and learning. In a study assessing this change's impact on crime, incarceration rates dropped by 10-13% among those directly and indirectly affected by the entry age policy. While both groups benefitted, the reduction in crime was smaller for those delaying entry, hinting at potential harms from late entry, perhaps due to less learning during the "redshirt" year or lower educational attainment. This emphasizes early education's long-term benefits, supporting transitional kindergarten's role. Yet, caution is needed in generalizing these findings, considering the availability of alternative pre-kindergarten programs today, absent in earlier decades, possibly lessening the negative impacts of delayed entry.

Head Start, the primary federally-funded preschool program in the U.S., serving over 1 million children yearly, emphasizes not just child education but also parental engagement and growth. However, research traditionally prioritizes children’s outcomes over parents’. Leveraging the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS)—the comprehensive evaluation and reporting program initiated in 1998—a new study explores if children’s participation in Head Start affects parents' education and employment. HSIS found short-term benefits for kids, fading by third grade, stirring doubts about long-term effectiveness. Research analysis, considering the family as a unit, discovered that parents of 3-year-olds in Head Start showed greater educational advancements by kindergarten compared to the control group. This effect was particularly pronounced for parents with some college but no degree and African American parents. These findings highlight Head Start's potential to support parents' educational pursuits, offering quality childcare, support networks, and pathways to higher education. This underscores how early education programs like Head Start can bolster parental growth alongside children's development, potentially influencing other similar programs.

A new study assessed the effectiveness of after-school tutoring programs, specifically the Supplemental Educational Services (SES) under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), within Chicago Public Schools. Evaluating these SES providers from 2009 onwards, the research aimed to fairly measure their impact on student achievement by considering student characteristics and school settings. The findings indicated that participating in SES positively influenced student achievement, notably with over 40 hours of tutoring, contributing significantly to annual student gains. Interestingly, there was a decline in hourly rates among providers over time, which correlated with the district's program, and a clear link between provider effectiveness and the number of students served. Successful program attributes, such as effective oversight, coordination, and cost reduction, were identified and could be beneficial for other districts. The strategies developed could be adopted by districts to assess provider effectiveness and provide crucial information to parents, aiding informed decisions. This valuable data could guide California districts granted NCLB waivers in program development and accountability system design. Similar analyses are underway in the Los Angeles Unified School District, highlighting the broader potential application of these findings.

In a recent study of Head Start's impact on early childhood education, a meta-analysis reviewed 28 studies from 1965 to 2007. Head Start yielded a 0.27 effect size, indicating modest improvement in children's short-term cognitive outcomes, aligning with general early childhood education programs. Yet, its effects were smaller compared to more intensive programs like Perry Preschool, but within the range of wider ECE averages. Research design significantly influenced these outcomes, particularly the nature of the control group. Studies with an "active" control group, exposed to other forms of ECE, showed smaller effects than those with a "passive" group, receiving no alternative ECE. As ECE attendance rises, communities with multiple ECE options could produce smaller Head Start effects. This does not question Head Start's efficacy but highlights other effective ECE alternatives, skewing comparative evaluations. Skills closely tied to ECE curricula, like early reading and math, responded better to Head Start than broader cognitive skills, suggesting tempered expectations for effects on measures like vocabulary or IQ. Finally, the study emphasizes considering measurement quality when interpreting program evaluation outcomes.