Transcript High/Scope Preschool Studies

The High/Scope
Perry Preschool
Study to Age 40
Larry Schweinhart
High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
www.highscope.org
Experimental design




123 young African-American children, living in
poverty and at risk of school failure.
Randomly assigned to initially similar program
and no-program groups.
4 teachers with bachelors’ degrees held a daily
class of 20-25 three- and four-year-olds and made
weekly home visits.
Children participated in their own education by
planning, doing, and reviewing their own
activities.
Major findings over time
No-program group
Program group
67%
Ready for school at 5
28%
61%
Committed to school at 14
38%
49%
Basic achievement at 14
15%
77%
High school graduate
60%
60%
Earned $20K+ at 40
40%
36%
Arrested 5+ times by 40
55%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
More high school graduates
Associate+ degree
Graduated from high school
High school dropout
Program group
68%
9%
No-program group 5%
0%
23%
55%
20%
40%
40%
60%
80%
100%
More employed,
higher earnings
Program group
Program group
No-program group
No-program group
Age 40
Age 27
40%
76%
62%
Age
27
69%
56%
60%
Age
40
80%
$20,800
$15,300
$12,000
$10,000
$8,000
$16,000
$24,000
Fewer arrested for
various Program
types
of
crimes
group
No-program group
33%
Violent
Drug
48%
14%
34%
36%
Property
0%
58%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Better health and
family relations
Program group
No-program group
57%
Males: Raised own child
30%
Males: Prescription drug
abuse
17%
43%
48%
Males: Marijuana
71%
Lost week of work for health
problem
43%
55%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Different effects on
males and females
Program females
No-program females
Program males
No-program males
80%
100%
80%
60%
40%
69%
60%
88%
40%
45%
46%
20%
20%
0%
0%
High school graduates
5+ arrests by 40
Large return on investment
(Per participant in 2000 constant dollars discounted 3% annually)
Benefits
$15,166
$50,448
Costs
$0
Education
$14,078
Welfare
Earnings
Taxes paid
Crime
$171,473
Total return = $244,812; $16.14 per dollar invested:
$12.90 to the public, $3.24 to participants
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
Study applications: Program



Teachers help children participate in their
own education by having them plan, do,
and review their own activities.
Teachers hold daily classes for 3- and 4year-olds, including those at risk of school
failure, with an adult for every 8 children.
Teachers visit with families frequently to
discuss their children’s development.
Study applications: Teachers


A teacher with a bachelor’s degree and
certification in education in every
classroom.
All teachers receive training, supervision,
and assessment that support their
participatory educational approach.
Participatory preschool
education prevents crime.
In the High/Scope participatory education model:



The classroom is arranged into activity areas.
In the daily routine, children plan, do, and
review their learning activities and engage in
small- and whole-group activities.
Teachers help children grow by treating them
with respect, engaging them in conversation,
and supporting their key child development
experiences.
Advantages of
participatory education
High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Study
High/Scope group
Nursery school group
Direct instruction group
Emotionally
disturbed
6%
6%
47%
Blames other
people
Suspended from
work
36%
0%
7%
63%
69%
27%
43%
44%
Volunteer work
11%
10%
17%
Arrested for
felony
0%
39%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Participatory education helps
teachers and children develop.
Training for Quality Study



Certified High/Scope trainers have trained over 16,000
early childhood teaching teams, including one-third of
Head Start.
Classrooms with High/Scope-trained teachers have
better learning environments, daily routines, adultchild-interaction, and overall implementation.
Children in these classrooms have better initiative,
social relations, creative representation, music and
movement skills, and overall development.
Other studies find long-term
return on investment.



North Carolina Abecedarian high-quality
child care study conducted by Craig
Ramey and Frances Campbell
Chicago Child-Parent Centers study
Conducted by Arthur Reynolds
Elmira, New York, nurse home visiting
program study conducted by David Olds
High/Scope’s new emphasis on
children’s literacy skills

The Growing Readers Early
Literacy Curriculum is a set of
detailed plans for small-group
activities.
•
The Early Literacy Skills Assessment,
for any curriculum, is based on
interactive reading of a storybook.
-- Some components of Growing Readers and ELSA
are available in Spanish. --
Growing literacy and social skills
Head Start FACES Study
Letter and Word
Identification
96.00
94.00
93.8
92.9
92.00
92.4
92.2
Head Start
High/Scope
90.00
Fall
Spring
 Also, children in
High/Scope Head Start
classes improve become
more cooperative and less
hyperactive than children
in other Head Start
classes.
Four preschool characteristics predict
children’s later ability around the world.
IEA Preprimary Study

Having free-choice, participatory
learning activities.

Having few whole-group activities.

Amount and variety of materials.

Teachers’ schooling.