Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively recent entrant into the U.S. early education landscape, combining features of public pre-K and regular kindergarten. We provide the first estimates of the impact of Michigan's TK program on 3rd grade test scores. Using an augmented regression discontinuity design, we find that TK improves 3rd grade…

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively new model of early childhood education, with little evidence on whether and how it affects children's development. This study provides new evidence using data from Michigan, which has the nation's second-largest TK program. Using survey data (N=171) from administrators in 2021-2022, the paper…

Transitional kindergarten (TK) is a relatively recent entrant into the US early education landscape, combining features of public pre-K and regular kindergarten. We provide the first estimates of the impact of Michigan's TK program on third-grade test scores. Using an augmented regression discontinuity design, we find that TK improves third-grade…

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively recent entrant into the U.S. early education landscape, combining features of public pre-K and regular kindergarten. We provide the first estimates of the impact of Michigan's TK program on 3rd grade test scores. Using an augmented regression discontinuity design, we find that TK improves 3rd grade…

Modern educational settings have been heavily integrated and dependent upon the use of technology. To keep up with the rigorous demands of Common Core State Standards, California schools have emphasized technology dependency to augment academic performance with today's schools. The purpose of the study focused on parental perception of technology…

The Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program longitudinal study (2009-2020) reviews the changing circumstances and outcomes of participation in Pre-K services in Arkansas. The "core comparison" of this study is between ABC participants and students who had no known Pre-K participation but have similar household income levels. The results…

This protocol guides the What Works Clearinghouse's (WWC) systematic reviews of evidence on interventions designed to improve the English language and literacy skills of students in kindergarten to grade 12. To conduct the systematic review, this protocol is used in conjunction with version 4.1 of the WWC Standards and Procedures Handbooks and the…

In this dissertation, I examine how two major social programs in Kentucky--state-funded preK and Family Resource and Youth Service Centers--impact children's outcomes across the state, including racial, ethnic, and economic equity through elementary school. In each chapter, I will analyze how early childhood opportunities relate to outcomes…

This three-year longitudinal study tracked the reading performance of 68 kindergarten students from low SES backgrounds. These students received instruction with a blended learning program--Lexia® Core5® Reading--from the start of kindergarten through second grade. During each school year the students made significant gains on a standardized…

In this paper we use data from students who participated in the oversubscribed Boston Public Schools (BPS) prekindergarten program as a window into variation in the program's medium-term effects. We first examine whether, for the sample of students who applied to oversubscribed BPS prekindergarten programs, there is variation in the effects of the…

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) has provided free prekindergarten classes for eligible Houston area four-year old students since the 1985-1986 school year. HISD offers full-day prekindergarten programs to all eligible students within its attendance boundaries. HISD collaborates with four federally-funded Head Start agencies that…

During the 2016-2017 school year, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) Department implemented a parent engagement program for 5,281 students enrolled at nine participating campuses. This evaluation examined the relationships between parents' attendance at APTT program group meetings and students'…

In compliance with the Texas Education Code § 29.153, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) has provided free prekindergarten (Pre-K) classes for eligible Houston-area four-year old students since the 1985-1986 school year. Children are enrolled into either one of four HISD prekindergarten program models: (1) an early childhood center…

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) currently offers free, full-day prekindergarten programs to all eligible students within the district's attendance boundaries. This evaluation compares the academic achievement of third-grade students who were previously enrolled in HISD prekindergarten programs during the 2012-2013 school year to…

In compliance with the Texas Education Code § 29.153, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) has provided free prekindergarten (Pre-K) classes for eligible Houston-area four-year old students since the 1985-1986 school year. Children are enrolled into either one of four HISD prekindergarten program models: (1) an early childhood center…