The development of cognitive and academic abilities: Growth curves from an early childhood educational experiment.

Abstract

In the Abecedarian Project, a prospective randomized trial, the effects of early educational intervention on patterns of cognitive and academic development among poor, minority children were examined. Participants in the follow-up were 104 of the original 111 participants in the study (98% African American). Early treatment was full-time, high-quality, educational child care from infancy to age 5. Cognitive test scores collected between the ages of 3 and 21 years and academic test scores from 8 to 21 years were analyzed. Treated children, on average, attained higher scores on both cognitive and academic tests, with moderate to large treatment effect sizes observed through age 21. Preschool cognitive gains accounted for a substantial portion of treatment differences in the development of reading and math skills. Intensive early childhood education can have long-lasting effects on cognitive and academic development.

Quality child care supports the achievement of low-income children: Direct and indirect pathways through caregiving and the home environment

“…For example, the effectiveness of model child care intervention programs, such as the Abecedarian Project (Campbell, Pungello, Miller-Johnson, Burchinal, & Ramey, 2001) and High/Scope Perry Preschool (Schweinhart, Barnes, Weikart, Barnett, & Epstein, 1993), has been established in random assignment studies. Although the internal validity of these studies is great, it is difficult to generalize findings from model interventions.…”

Emergent literacy skills, behavior problems and familial antecedents of reading difficulties: A follow-up study of reading achievement from kindergarten to fifth grade

“…As a result, children who manifest early difficulties in learning to read represent a vulnerable group at high risk of underachievement trajectories throughout childhood and beyond, with long lasting consequences and costs for individuals and societies (Campbell, Pungello, Miller-Johnson, Burchinal & Ramey, 2001;Heckman, 2006;Maughan et al, 2009). …”

Child Care Services, Socioeconomic Inequalities, and Academic Performance

“…[1][2][3] The most robust evidence that Child Care Services (CCS) promote academic achievement for these children comes from experimental programs designed to serve the most disadvantaged children. [4][5][6] However, it is not clear whether CCS widely available in communities, which are typically of lower quality than experimental child-care programs, can have comparable effects. Furthermore, large-scale longitudinal studies have shown that, under some circumstances (eg, initiation in infancy), CCS can have a negative impact* on children's cognitive development.…”