Longer-Term Effects of a Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program

Carolyn Hill

This project will estimate the longer-term effects of a universal pre-kindergarten (pre-k) program. It will analyze a number of outcomes through the third grade (longer if data become available) for a group of children who attended pre-k in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, public schools (TPS), a large urban school district with a diverse student population. While policy interest in universal pre-k programs is increasing, relatively little is known about the longer-term effectiveness of these programs, and whether, how, and why effects may differ for subgroups of students. Using a number of nonexperimental statistical methods (ordinary least squares with controls, propensity score methods, difference-in-differences, and comparative interrupted time series), my proposed study will address this gap in knowledge. If feasible, the study will further explore the determinants of effectiveness across pre-k programs in an effort to get inside the “black box” of program effectiveness.

About Carolyn Hill

Carolyn J. Hill is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC. She received her master’s degree in public policy from the La Follette Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her Ph.D. from the Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. Carolyn’s research focuses on the design, management, and performance of publicly-supported programs, particularly those that serve poor families. She is co-author, with Laurence E. Lynn, Jr. and Carolyn J. Heinrich, of Improving Governance: A New Logic for Empirical Research.