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A write-up of two complementary new studies on preschool fadeout from our research-practice partnership @BPSEarlyLearn @UMichEducation @MDRC_News @hgse, supported by two @IESResearch grants and just out @SRCDtweets:
https://bit.ly/2MpM0Sd
Thread: 1/10
https://bit.ly/2MpM0Sd
Thread: 1/10
1st study uses admin data on nearly 5K children who applied to Boston PreK *before* P-2 curriculum alignment reforms. We find + associations btwn enrolling in Boston PreK and kids' reading skills thru 3rd grade. With @UntermanRebecca & @annakshapiro
https://bit.ly/36f5JuVCop 2/10
https://bit.ly/36f5JuVCop 2/10
Consistent w/ much of the research literature, kindergarten appears to be the “hotspot” for convergence/fadeout. Key study figure: 3/10
The 2nd study uses much richer data our team collected on ~500 children *after* the P-2 curriculum reforms. We find evidence that *skill type* appears to matter – Boston PreK boost more strongly sustained through end of Kindergarten for unconstrained vs constrained skills. 4/9
2nd study fabulous team author team led by @Meghan_McCorm and with @hsueh_joann, Mirjana Pralica, @A_K_Weissman, @lillmoff, Catherine Snow, & Jason Sachs 5/10
What’s an unconstrained skill? They’re broadband skills like vocabulary, problem solving, & critical thinking that are acquired more gradually and are more difficult to assess. Constrained skills are more finite and readily teachable, like letter names and counting. 6/10
Both unconstrained and constrained skills are critical for success in early elementary school – Prek + elementary contexts need to support both. @BPSEarlyLearn's P-2 curricula is a trailblazer in trying to support both WHILE aligning P-2 instruction. 7/10
What do the two studies mean together? 1) We need more research on the kindergarten “hotspot” to unpack fadeout/convergence; 2) We need more development and testing of P-3 models; and 3) Skill type may matter in sustaining the preK boost. 8/10
More to come from our team, including a study of the causal impacts of the Boston alignment reforms.
To read more about the reforms, see https://bit.ly/39g0AV6 (no pay wall!) and https://www.bpsearlylearning.org/ . 9/10
To read more about the reforms, see https://bit.ly/39g0AV6 (no pay wall!) and https://www.bpsearlylearning.org/ . 9/10
Finally, if you’re new to constrained vs unconstrained skills & want to learn more, we can’t recommend this piece by our co-author Catherine Snow & Timothy Matthews enough! https://bit.ly/3caOQFf 10/10
Oops... link to the 2nd study: https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cdev.13520
