Preschool and full-day kindergarten programs appear to be promising initiatives, but the advantage they give young children disappears after a few years, suggests a report from the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute.
Using test-score data from schools throughout Arizona that offer full-day kindergarten or preschool, Matthew Ladner, the vice president for research at the free-market-oriented think tank, found that reading and math scores for 3rd graders who had been in preschool or full-day kindergarten were higher than those for students who had not been in such programs. But by the time the children who had attended full-day kindergarten or preschool reached 5th grade, their scores were comparable to those of other students.
“Putting Arizona Education Reform to the Test: School Choice and Early Education Expansion” is posted by the Goldwater Institute.
