Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking—Preschool Education

EAST LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 13, 2012) — Universal preschool education has become an increasingly supported topic by the American public. Sound research evidence supports the expansion of high-quality preschool opportunities, according to the third in a series of two- and three-page briefs summarizing key findings in education policy research.

According to Dr. William Mathis, managing director of the National Education Policy Center, "There is near-universal agreement that high-quality preschool programs more than pay for themselves in economic and social benefits." Mathis also notes, "In terms of academic effects, preschool programs show large and immediate pay-offs."

This three-page brief is part of Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking , a multipart brief that takes up a number of important policy issues and identifies policies supported by research. Each section focuses on a different issue, and its recommendations to policymakers are based on the latest scholarship.

Indeed, high-quality preschool for at least two years has been found to close as much as half the achievement gap. Such preschool participation is also associated with a wide range of more positive adult outcomes, including less drug use, less welfare dependency, higher graduation rates, higher college attendance, and higher employment.

The brief explains the key elements of a quality pre-school program. It also discusses research findings concerning basic issues such as the entrance age for preschool, comparisons of center-based and home-based programs, and whether preschool should be universal or targeted by socioeconomic group.

This three-page brief is part of the multipart brief Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking .

Find the brief on the GLC website at:

http://greatlakescenter.org/research_based_options.php

This report is published by the National Education Policy Center, housed at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and is made possible by funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.

This brief is also found on the NEPC website at:

http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/options

The mission of the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice is to support and disseminate high quality research and reviews of research for the purpose of informing education policy and to develop research-based resources for use by those who advocate for education reform.

Visit the Great Lakes Center Web Site at: http://www.greatlakescenter.org .

Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/greatlakescent .

Contact:
William J. Mathis, (802) 383-0058, wmathis@sover.net
Dan Quinn, (517) 203-2940, dquinn@greatlakescenter.org