Publications Search Results

“Program effectiveness
• According to a UNC evaluation of the 2015-16 school year, NC Pre-K demonstrated consistent, positive effects on children’s skills at the end of kindergarten in two key domains of learning—math and executive function.
• A UNC summary of annual NC Pre-K evaluations conducted from 2002 to 2016 stated that poor children who attended the program fared better on third-grade reading and math end-of-grade tests than poor children who did not attend.
• A Duke University study published in 2016 found that North Carolina’s investment in pre-K and Smart Start has resulted in higher test scores, less grade retention, and fewer special education placements through fifth grade.
• According to the study, the benefits extended beyond students who attended pre-K—that is, being in class with former NCPre-K students helped non-attendees do better in later grades.”

“While the depiction of the preschool and public pre-kindergarten landscape requires significant explication, one conclusion is clear: Any summary evaluation of the impact of public pre-kindergarten programs on children’s outcomes must recognize that such programs vary greatly across states and are directed to different kinds of children.”

In this study, NC Pre-K and Smart Start were evaluated across 13 years, following children through age 11 (end of elementary school) in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. This study has, to date, involved approximately 1 million children. It took advantage of the fact that state funding levels varied across counties and across years. The researchers asked the policymakers’ question: Does the level of state funding allocated for each of these programs to a particular county in a particular year influence the educational outcomes for the children living in those counties and years?