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19 - Paths of Effects of Preschool Participation to Educational Attainment at Age 21: A Three-Study Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Arthur J. Reynolds ,
Michelle M. Englund ,
Suh-Ruu Ou ,
Lawrence J. Schweinhart  and
Frances A. Campbell
Edited by
Arthur J. Reynolds ,
Arthur J. Rolnick ,
Michelle M. Englund  and
Judy A. Temple
Arthur J. Reynolds
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Arthur J. Rolnick
Affiliation:
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Michelle M. Englund
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Judy A. Temple
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
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Summary

A hallmark of preschool programs is their capacity to promote lasting effects on child well-being into adulthood. Long-term beneficial effects of early childhood programs have been documented for school performance and achievement, antisocial and criminal behavior, educational attainment, economic well-being, parenting behaviors, health status and behavior, and mental health (Campbell & Ramey, 1995; Karoly, 2001; Karoly, Cannon, & Kilburn, 2005; McLaughlin, Campbell, Pungello, & Skinner, 2007; Reynolds et al., 2007; Schweinhart, Barnes, & Weikart, 1993; Temple & Reynolds, 2007).

The most consistently observed and consequential long-term effects of preschool programs are for educational attainment. Measured by high school completion, years of education, or college attendance, higher educational attainment has been demonstrated in model (Campbell, Ramey, Pungello, Sparling, & Miller-Johnson, 2002; Consortium for Longitudinal Studies, 1983; Schweinhart et al., 1993, 2005) and large-scale programs (Currie & Thomas, 2000; Garces, Thomas, & Currie, 2002; Oden, Schweinhart, Weikart, Marcus, & Xie, 2000; Reynolds, Temple, Robertson, & Mann, 2001). Educational attainment is a key determinant of economic well-being and is a fundamental measure for estimating economic returns in cost-benefit analysis. Although long-term positive effects of preschool have been found for other adult outcomes such as employment and income (Schweinhart et al., 1993), crime prevention (Reynolds et al., 2001; Schweinhart et al., 1993), health status and behavior, and mental health (McLaughlin et al., 2007; Reynolds et al., 2007), they have been demonstrated less consistently.

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Chapter
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Childhood Programs and Practices in the First Decade of Life
A Human Capital Integration
 , pp. 415 - 452
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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