Georgia’s Pre-K Evaluation: Study of Language Development in Pre-K

DECAL partnered with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to conduct a statewide evaluation of language and literacy development in Georgia’s Pre-K during the 2022-2023 school year. Building on previous evaluations of Georgia’s Pre-K, this study took a deeper look at the classroom practices, teacher-child interactions, and learning environments that support children’s language development and early literacy skills. The study included a representative sample of 146 Georgia’s Pre-K classrooms and 812 children across public and private settings and rural and urban communities.

The executive summary provides an overview of the study’s key findings and implications, while the full report includes detailed information about the study design, methodology, participants, and results.

Full Report

Executive Summary

Pre-K Enrollment Study

In 2018, Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) contracted with the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government (Institute of Government) to study lottery-funded Georgia’s Pre-K waitlist. The study comprised two parts: (1) a series of focus groups with Georgia public and private Pre-K directors to better understand their perspectives on Georgia’s Pre-K enrollment in local communities and (2) a survey of parents and caregivers of children currently on Georgia’s Pre-K Program waiting list.

Documents List

Evaluation of Pre-K Program (Longitudinal Study)

In 2011, the Georgia General Assembly authorized an evaluation of Georgia’s Pre-K Program. In response to the General Assembly, DECAL commissioned national experts at the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to conduct a series of studies to measure the impact of our state’s nationally renowned Pre-K program. Descriptions of each study and their associated reports are listed below.

• Georgia’s Pre-K Longitudinal Study (2013-2019)

  The Georgia’s Pre-K Longitudinal Study followed a statewide sample of 1,169 children from Pre-K to fourth grade. The six-year study, covering 2013–2019 and conducted by researchers at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, examined the children’s learning outcomes through standardized assessments and the quality of their school experiences over time through classroom observations. The study also included a subsample of English-Spanish dual language learners and a comparison sample of children who did not attend any pre-k.

  The fourth-grade results make clear that Georgia’s investment in early education is paying off and should continue. While the students continued to gain skills and overall were still performing at or above the national average at the end of fourth grade, most skills were not acquired as quickly as they were in Pre-K and kindergarten, continuing the trend from first grade. Children in the Pre-K longitudinal sample had better language, literacy, and executive function skills in fourth grade than children in the comparison sample who did not attend any pre-k. Overall, results suggest that a key strength of Georgia’s Pre-K Program is building foundational literacy skills for reading.

  Georgia's Pre-K Longitudinal Study Report (Year 6 – 4th grade)

  Executive Summary (Year 6 – 4th grade)

  Georgia's Pre-K Longitudinal Study Report (Year 5 – 3rd grade)

  Executive Summary (Year 5 – 3rd grade)

  Georgia's Pre-K Longitudinal Study Report (Year 4 – 2nd grade)

  Executive Summary (Year 4 – 2nd grade)

  Georgia's Pre-K Longitudinal Study Report (Year 3 – 1st grade)

  Executive Summary (Year 3 – 1st grade)

  Georgia's Pre-K Longitudinal Study Report (Year 2 – Kindergarten)

  Executive Summary (Year 2 – Kindergarten)

  Georgia's Pre-K Longitudinal Study Report (Year 1 – Pre-K)

  Executive Summary (Year 1 – Pre-K)

• Effects of Georgia’s Pre-K Program on Children’s School Readiness Skills (2012-2013)

  This study was designed to investigate the effects of participation in Georgia’s Pre-K on children’s school readiness skills and whether those effects are similar for different groups of children. This study utilized a regression discontinuity design (RDD) to compare children who had and had not attended Georgia’s Pre-K, and included 1,181 children (611 treated and 570 untreated).

  RDD Report

  RDD Executive Summary

  Webinar (March 12, 2014)

• Local Variations in Enrollment Processes in Georgia’s Pre-K Program (2012-2013)

  This study was designed to examine local variations in implementation of recruitment, application, assignment, and waitlist procedures and to examine the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled-trial study. This study gathered information through surveys of all programs and supplemental phone interviews for a sample of programs.

  Pre-K Enrollment Report

  Pre-K Enrollment Executive

• Children’s Growth and Classroom Experiences in Georgia’s Pre-K Program (2011-2012)

  This study was designed to examine children’s learning outcomes during Pre-K, the factors that predict better outcomes, and the quality of children’s experiences in Georgia’s Pre-K classrooms. This study included a random sample of 100 classrooms and 509 children within those classrooms.

  Pre-K Outcomes Report

  Pre-K Outcomes Executive Summary

Direct questions about this evaluation to the DECAL Research Team at Research@decal.ga.gov. Further information may also be found at: http://www.fpg.unc.edu/projects/georgia-pre-kindergarten-evaluation.

Pre-K Third Grade Achievement Study

Georgia's Pre-K, administered by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), provides four-year olds with high-quality preschool experiences that help prepare them for kindergarten. A recent evaluation of Georgia's Pre-K indicated that participation in the program had significant positive effects on children's skills at the start of kindergarten.

However, there has not been a recent study that has examined outcomes at later grades for children who attended Georgia's Pre-K compared to children who did not participate. This current analysis, utlizing data from GA*AWARDS, fills that gap by comparing third-grade score on the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade (EOG) test for children who had and had not take part in Georgia's Pre-K.

The report and summary are attached below.

Documents List