Eric.ed.gov – Effects of Participation in the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program at the End of Kindergarten: 2015-2016 Statewide Evaluation

The purpose of the 2015-2016 NC Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K) Evaluation study was to examine the long-term effects of participation in NC Pre-K at the end of kindergarten. Two groups of children were compared–those who attended NC Pre-K (treatment) and those who had not attended NC Pre-K (comparison). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to select a matched sample of children with similar characteristics across the two groups. This study found significant treatment effects for participation in the NC Pre-K Program on children’s outcomes at the end of kindergarten in the areas of math skills and executive function. Although effect sizes were in the small range, there were effects across all aspects of math. There were significant differences for calculation skills and the math composite, and marginally significant differences for math problem-solving. In contrast, there were almost no effects found in the areas of language and literacy skills, with the exception of one marginally significant finding for phonological awareness skills. This pattern of effects for early math and reading skills at the end of kindergarten is consistent with results from data showing that, compared to math, performance in reading tends to drop off in later grades for NC students relative to national samples. Results suggest that the NC Pre-K Program demonstrated consistent, positive effects on children’s skills at the end of kindergarten in two key domains of learning — math skills and executive function. Although children generally were scoring in the expected ranges for their age in most skills areas, there were no differences between NC Pre-K and non-NC Pre-K children in language and literacy skills — a fundamental area for later school success. [Related reports include: (1) “Children’s Pre-K Experiences and Outcomes in the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program: 2014-2015. Statewide Evaluation” (ED588049); and (2) “North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program Evaluation: Key Findings (2002-2016)” (ED587561).]