New research from NORC at the University of Chicago, Start Early, and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research finds that Chicago policies intended to increase access and enrollment to full-day, school-based pre-k were also related to higher kindergarten entry skills and ultimately better academic outcomes in second grade, particularly for high-priority students. Average second grade math and reading test scores and academic grades increased the most for some high-priority student groups, including Black students, students in the lowest-income group, and students living in mostly Black neighborhoods.

In the new study, A Path to Equity: From Expanded Pre-k Access to Success in Elementary School, researchers investigate if and how the geographic placement of full-day pre-k classrooms within a school district matters for later student outcomes. “Access to pre-k is not equitable, but there are decisions school districts can make that determine who has access,” said Stacy Ehrlich, principal investigator and senior research scientist at NORC. “Intentional decisions to place full-day, school-based pre-k classrooms in neighborhoods that typically do not have them does make a difference for student outcomes,” added Ehrlich.

Beginning in 2013, the City of Chicago launched major policy efforts to create more equitable enrollment in pre-k programs. The policies, including increasing the number of full-day pre-k classrooms and reallocating classrooms throughout the city, aimed to enroll more students from “high-priority” groups to help them better prepare for success in kindergarten and beyond. An October 2020 study from this same team of researchers showed that access played a key role in achieving more equitable school-based pre-k enrollment.

Another recent study in Boston found students attending public preschool were more likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college compared to students who did not attend public preschool. While the Chicago study does not compare outcomes between students who attended pre-k and those who did not, these studies from Chicago and Boston highlight that increasing the availability of pre-k can set high-priority student groups on a positive trajectory.

Many school districts are currently exploring what strategies are available to them as they consider how to use potential funding from the Biden Administration’s American Families Plan. The proposed Plan, which still needs a vote from Congress, calls on the government to invest $200 billion in universal, high-quality preschool to all three- and four-year-olds. The Administration has noted that high-need communities will be prioritized and families will be able to choose the settings that work best for them. “As district leaders begin plans to expand pre-k and make decisions about where to locate the classrooms, our study suggests they have an opportunity to prioritize policies and funding that provide more full-day pre-k classrooms close to where historically underserved students live,” said Maia Connors, co-principal investigator and director of research and policy initiatives at Start Early.