title: Does aggregate school-wide achievement mediate fifth grade outcomes for former early childhood education participants?
abstract: This study used a multilevel mediation model to test the theory that former early childhood education (ECE) attendees' 5th grade achievement is mediated by the aggregate school-wide achievement of their elementary school. Aggregate school-wide achievement was defined as the percentage of 5th graders in a school who were at/above academic proficiency in reading or math. Research questions were: (a) Do ECE program participants have better achievement at 5th grade compared with their matched peers who did not participate in an ECE program?; and (b) Is the association between ECE attendance and 5th grade academic performance mediated by school-wide achievement? Results indicated that children who attended prekindergarten (pre-K) and child care outperformed their matched peers who had not attended ECE programs; conversely, those children who did not attend ECE actually outperformed their Head Start counterparts. Mediation analyses indicated that aggregate school-wide achievement at 5th grade partially mediated the association between former ECE attendance and 5th grade performance; however, these mediated effects were small. Overall, the size of the total effects of ECE and the 5th grade academic outcomes were consistent with prior studies. This research confirms the long-term effects of pre-K and child care until 5th grade.
authors.affiliation: Bloustein School Public Policy Program.
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Curenton
authors.affiliation: College of Education, University of Missouri.
authors.forename: Nianbo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xiangjin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D010379:Peer Group; D057216:Propensity Score; D011932:Reading; D012578:Schools, Nursery