State-funded pre-K may enhance math achievement
February 3, 2021
New research shows the program has an impact on classroom success
Students who attend the Georgia Prekindergarten Program are more likely to achieve in mathematics than those who do not attend pre-K, according to a new study by the University of Georgia.
In the first longitudinal study to follow Georgia pre-K students through middle school, Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett, associate dean for academic programs and professor in UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education, found that participating in pre-K programs positively predicted mathematical achievement in students through seventh grade.
“Students who participated in the study were twice as likely to meet the state standards in their mathematics achievement,” said Neuharth-Pritchett. “School becomes more challenging as one progresses through the grades, and so if in middle school, students are still twice as likely to meet the state standards, it’s clear