RAND's California Preschool Study: First Two Volumes ReleasedNovember 12, 2007 |
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 Parents and providers have long had a hunch: children who start Kindergarten behind remain behind as they continue in school. Now that hunch has been supported by think tank the RAND Corporation. The first publication in a four volume series by RAND entitled Who is Ahead and Who is Behind? Gaps in School Readiness and Student Achievement in the Early Grades for California's Children suggests that the sizeable achievement gaps in English-language arts and mathematics have early roots.The provocative findings reveal that even though the state has invested $1.9 billion dollars in early care and education for the 2005-2006 fiscal year, not all of those programs are meeting national benchmarks in quality. The study suggests that the lack of quality preparation for school is then reflected in the serious achievement gaps for children in second and third grades. The first two volumes in the series were released on November 8th, with the final two are expected to be released in 2008. The second study, entitled Early Care and Education in the Golden State: Publicly Funded Programs Serving California's Preschool-Age Children, provides a comprehensive assessment of publicly funded Early Childhood Education programs for preschool-age children – for California as a whole, and for four case-study counties: Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, and San Mateo. To view the studies go to www.rand.org.
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