Title I Preschool Education: More Children Served, but Gauging Effect on School Readiness Difficult
HEHS-00-171
Published: Sep 20, 2000. Publicly Released: Sep 20, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's Title I program for preschool education, focusing on: (1) the extent to which title I funds are used to support education or developmentally appropriate activities for preschool children, aged birth to 5 years; and (2) what is known about the effectiveness of title I-funded programs for preschool children in preparing them for school.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Education | Given the large federal investment in title I and the current attention on the importance of early childhood education programs, the Secretary of Education should determine if it is feasible to isolate and measure title I's effect as part of Education's planned preschool study. If feasible, the Secretary should ensure that the final study design is structured to isolate and measure title I's effect. |
Closed – Implemented
In June 2001, the Department of Education issued a request for proposals soliciting proposals for a 5-year, national study of Title I-funded early childhood programs. One of the study's purposes was to evaluate the extent to which Title I contributes to academic and non-academic outcomes for participants. The study proposal specified that the study respond to the GAO recommendation by evaluating the effectiveness of Title I early childhood education programs. Education expected to award the contract for this study in 2001, but the agency was reorganized, with responsibility for the Title I study moving to the new evaluation unit in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). OERI awarded the contract to Westat, which recently surveyed 2,300 schools to detect the prevalence of Title I schools with Title I-funded preschool programs, and to determine the feasibility of conducting an impact study within those Title I-funded programs.
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Topics
Aid for educationDisadvantaged personsEducation program evaluationPerformance measuresPreschool educationPreschoolersSchool districtsChildrenHead Start programsSchools