Studies of two well-known early-learning programs—the Creative Curriculum (fourth edition) and Bright Beginnings—show no discernible effects on oral language, print language, phonological processing, or mathematics for preschool children, according to federal reviews.
The What Works Clearinghouse, which works under the Institute of Education Sciences to vet research in the field, identified two of 14 studies of the Creative Curriculum that reached its evidence standards. The studies that reached that benchmark examined a total of 364 preschoolers in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
The clearinghouse identified one out of six studies of Bright Beginnings that met evidence standards; that report examined results in 198 preschool students in Tennessee. Bright Beginnings is based in part on the Creative Curriculum, with extra attention paid to early-language and literacy skills. Neither program is currently in use.
