Friday, May 23, 2008
Should We Invest In Pre-K Education?
In Meaningful Investments In Pre-k, researchers from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research estimate what it actually costs to provide quality pre-k programs. To estimate the costs of quality pre-k programs, the IWPR researchers identified the characteristics of high-quality pre-k programs—qualified teachers, small class sizes, appropriate educational materials, and so on—and arrived at research-based estimates of what it actually costs, on a per-child basis, to provide those things. They also estimated the cost of appropriate facilities and of state-level support and oversight infrastructure needed to ensure pre-k quality.
The researchers estimated the cost of pre-k at a variety of quality levels, varying quality in terms of both teacher qualifications/compensation and class size. They also estimated the difference in costs of half-, full-, and extended-day programs. Estimates ranged from a low of $3,214 dollars per child, per year for half-day pre-k programs taught by teachers with a CDA (a child development credential that is less than an associate’s degree) in classrooms of 20 students, to a high of $13,649 per child, per year for extended-day pre-k programs, taught by bachelor’s degree teachers paid under public school salaries, in classrooms of 15 students.
The sad reality is that most states are spending nowhere near this much money per pupil on pre-k, even compared to more modest quality standards. Pre-K programs in 10 states are spending less than even the $3,214 per child IWPR estimates is necessary to provide just the lowest-quality pre-k! The National Institute for Early Education Research estimates that only 19 states are spending enough money to meet quality standards, and all but 4 of those provide only half-day programs.
Fortunately for policymakers seeking to raise quality, the IWPR study also provides estimates of the marginal cost to improve state pre-k quality standards. For instance, for a full-day program with associates degreed teachers and classes of 17 students, it would cost about 12 percent more to raise teacher education requirements to a bachelor’s degree, while it would cost about 8 percent more to reduce class size to 15. These estimates can be useful for policymakers weighing the costs of different policy alternatives.
What the IWPR study doesn’t provide, however, is information on cost effectiveness of different quality improvements: That is, if I’m a legislator seeking to improve pre-k quality or access in my state, what investments give me the biggest bang for my buck? Should I invest marginal dollars in class size reduction, or on raising teacher credentials, or should I leave quality be and increase the number of children served?
Download the study and form your own opinions.
In Meaningful Investments In Pre-k, researchers from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research estimate what it actually costs to provide quality pre-k programs. To estimate the costs of quality pre-k programs, the IWPR researchers identified the characteristics of high-quality pre-k programs—qualified teachers, small class sizes, appropriate educational materials, and so on—and arrived at research-based estimates of what it actually costs, on a per-child basis, to provide those things. They also estimated the cost of appropriate facilities and of state-level support and oversight infrastructure needed to ensure pre-k quality.
The researchers estimated the cost of pre-k at a variety of quality levels, varying quality in terms of both teacher qualifications/compensation and class size. They also estimated the difference in costs of half-, full-, and extended-day programs. Estimates ranged from a low of $3,214 dollars per child, per year for half-day pre-k programs taught by teachers with a CDA (a child development credential that is less than an associate’s degree) in classrooms of 20 students, to a high of $13,649 per child, per year for extended-day pre-k programs, taught by bachelor’s degree teachers paid under public school salaries, in classrooms of 15 students.
The sad reality is that most states are spending nowhere near this much money per pupil on pre-k, even compared to more modest quality standards. Pre-K programs in 10 states are spending less than even the $3,214 per child IWPR estimates is necessary to provide just the lowest-quality pre-k! The National Institute for Early Education Research estimates that only 19 states are spending enough money to meet quality standards, and all but 4 of those provide only half-day programs.
Fortunately for policymakers seeking to raise quality, the IWPR study also provides estimates of the marginal cost to improve state pre-k quality standards. For instance, for a full-day program with associates degreed teachers and classes of 17 students, it would cost about 12 percent more to raise teacher education requirements to a bachelor’s degree, while it would cost about 8 percent more to reduce class size to 15. These estimates can be useful for policymakers weighing the costs of different policy alternatives.
What the IWPR study doesn’t provide, however, is information on cost effectiveness of different quality improvements: That is, if I’m a legislator seeking to improve pre-k quality or access in my state, what investments give me the biggest bang for my buck? Should I invest marginal dollars in class size reduction, or on raising teacher credentials, or should I leave quality be and increase the number of children served?
Download the study and form your own opinions.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 5:18 PM 
