The researchers said the findings “demonstrated that there are sizeable gaps in the extent to which children in California enter school ready to learn, gaps that persist when student performance is measured in kindergarten through third grade.” They propose that in considering solutions to the achievement gap, “it is logical to consider whether one potential approach is to implement policies that will narrow the gaps present at the starting gate, when children first enter the K–12 education system. It is natural then to consider the potential role of high quality preschool programs one or two years before kindergarten entry as part of a strategy to narrow the gaps in school readiness and subsequent student performance in the early elementary grades.”
The study also looked at the effects of preschool programs on school readiness in Michigan, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Oklahoma and five of their surrounding states. There was a strong positive correlation between attending a preschool program and school readiness. Hispanic students in Oklahoma, in particular, showed significant benefits from the preschool program.
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