Peabody Journal of Education, Vol. 82, No. 4
Abstract
The Case for Early, Targeted Interventions to Prevent Academic Failure
Irma Perez-Johnson
Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
Rebecca Maynard
Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
The persistent achievement gaps among children of different race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status in the United States represent an issue that has commanded public, policy, and research attention on and off for about 100 years now, and it is once again in the forefront of policy-making agendas. Debates nevertheless abound on the most promising and cost-effective strategies to address the problem. We examine critically the available evidence on the benefits and costs of early childhood education and conclude that early, vigorous interventions targeted at disadvantaged children offer the best chance to substantially reduce gaps in school readiness and increase the productivity of our educational systems. The available evidence fails to provide a complete road map for future investments, however. Hence, we propose a program of challenge grants to states and their subunits, coupled with waivers from regulation, to spur innovation and experimentation within this important research area. We provide examples of the types of experiments that could be funded and discuss important considerations in the development and implementation of such a research grants program.
About The Author
Irma Perez-Johnson is an advanced doctoral student in the Policy, Measurement, and Evaluation division at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D. receipt expected in May 2008). She is also a recipient of a prestigious pre-doctoral fellowship from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Her interests include research methods for the rigorous evaluation of educational interventions, teacher labor markets, school choice, school-to-work transitions, and the academic achievement gap. A senior researcher at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. before her studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Perez-Johnson has extensive experience in the evaluation of education, employment, worker training, and welfare programs, including implementation and outcomes studies, cost analysis, and randomized control trials. She is the lead author or a contributing author of numerous research reports and has presented her findings to both lay and professional audiences.
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