Students in Georgia's pre-kindergarten program greatly benefit from it, according to a new study.
Commissioned in 2011-2012 by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), the results announced this week are part of a multi-year evaluation by the Frank Porter Graham Childhood Development Institute at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. This study tracked 1,169 children who participated in Georgia Pre-K during the 2013-2014 school year.
Results showed program participation significantly improved children’s school-readiness skills across a wide range of literacy, math and general knowledge measures. Based on standardized test scores, the study indicates students progressed faster while participating in the program compared to normal development in the same time frame.
The report also revealed Spanish-speaking dual language learners grew skills in English and Spanish, usually showing greater growth in English.
Researchers will continue to monitor student progress through the end of the third grade.
“Ensuring Georgia’s youngest scholars continue to benefit from Georgia’s highly ranked Pre-K program is one of my top priorities,” said Gov. Nathan Deal in a released statement. “This study confirms that Georgia is on the right track. Our Pre-K program helps students acquire the foundation necessary for a solid education, puts them on track to read at grade level by the third grade and assists in developing essential skills which will lead to academic excellence and future success.”
Deal recently announced he wants to spend $50 million to reverse cuts to Georgia's pre-kindergarten program that increased class sizes and cut teacher pay. In 2011, Deal and state lawmakers cut the pre-k program's school year by 20 days to save money. The maximum classroom size was raised from 20 to 22 students. A 180-day school calendar has since been restored, but class sizes remain the same.
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