By the start of kindergarten, there are already large gaps in achievement between black and Hispanic children and their white peers, between children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and their higher socioeconomic counterparts, and between dual language learners (DLLs) and their native English-speaking peers. This dissertation examines the degree to which high quality public pre-K and bilingual education in early childhood are likely to narrow achievement gaps and promote faster academic growth trajectories for "at-risk" students. The dissertation is comprised of three papers. The first considers whether there are gaps in the quality of state-funded pre-K experienced among students of different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and language backgrounds, and if so, what kinds of state- and classroom-level factors explain these "quality gaps." This paper has implications for whether public pre-K, in its current form, might narrow the achievement gap. For the second and third papers I focus in on one of the four subgroups studied in paper one -- DLLs. In paper two I examine which quality indicators of bilingual pre-K are the strongest predictors of DLLs' academic growth in English, Spanish, and executive functioning skills over time, and whether the predictive validity of these measures varies by DLLs' student backgrounds. Finally, in the third paper I use quasi-experimental methods to examine which specific models of bilingual vs. English-only education in early elementary school predict the best long term academic outcomes for DLLs. I also consider whether these effects vary for Latino versus Chinese DLLs. Across the three papers, I discuss policy implications. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]