Pre-K study shows early gains wear off

Pictured are children in a pre-kindergarten classroom in San Diego, California, on October 1, 2013.
Pictured are children in a pre-kindergarten classroom in San Diego, California, on October 1, 2013. Robert Benson/Getty Images for Knowledge Universe
Pictured are children in a pre-kindergarten classroom in San Diego, California, on October 1, 2013.
Pictured are children in a pre-kindergarten classroom in San Diego, California, on October 1, 2013. Robert Benson/Getty Images for Knowledge Universe

Pre-K study shows early gains wear off

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Pictured are children in a pre-kindergarten classroom in San Diego, California, on October 1, 2013. (Robert Benson/Getty Images for Knowledge Universe)

new study out of Vanderbilt University has some surprising findings: children from low-income families benefit significantly from Tennessee’s pre-kindergarten programs at first, but those gains wear off by the end of third grade. Researchers also found that students who did not attend pre-K quickly caught up to the students who did attend pre-K.

The study raises questions about the efficacy of Tennessee’s pre-K programs, which were widely expanded in 2005. Dale Farran, a professor at Vanderbilt and co-investigator of the study, discusses the findings with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson.

via Here & Now