The purpose of this study was to examine the impact on the academic performance of Hispanic pre-kindergarten students after participating in a three year structured literacy program compared to the academic performance of Hispanic prekindergarten students not in a structured literacy program in selected elementary schools in the Laredo Independent School District in Texas. This study’s objective was to determine if participation in a structured literacy program is beneficial. This study will provide information and direction for district educators and school leaders contemplating the benefits of a three year old pre-kindergarten program at all district campuses. The researcher’s hypothesis that young Hispanic children, given the opportunity to attend a three year old structured literacy program, will acquire literacy skills and perform academically above what is normally is expected for this age group, is supported by literature and studies reviewed. Key to the purpose of this study is the understanding that as children grow and develop in today’s competitive society, literacy is important because it provides a foundation for life-long learning. For that reason it becomes necessary to educate all children at an early age. Given that in today’s volatile educational system, a comprehensive early childhood program has not been adopted much less one that focuses on pre-literacy and literacy skills; it is vital to examine the possible benefits. Currently, school districts and private institutions allow children to enter a kindergarten at different levels of literacy development and reading readiness; this is even truer for today’s divergent and burgeoning Hispanic population. Based on research, students tend to fare better, both short-term and long-term when allowed to enter an early educational setting. While no specific program is identified as key to this success, it only stands to reason that one that is structured and that has a well defined curriculum would fare better. Conclusions from this study provide data reflecting a need to provide an early pre-literacy program, improvement of teacher training, and greater parental involvement. It is this researcher’s contention that schools benefit from further research regarding the implementation of like programs in other geographic regions and with other participants.

Not all children begin their educational journey on equal footing. The purpose of this study is to investigate how universal prekindergarten (UPK) can serve as a key to remedying issues surrounding educational inequity. In order to understand educational inequity, I dive into the history of neighborhood racial segregation in the United States, and how it led to our currently unjust system. Racial segregation, specifically city zoning laws, created racially separate neighborhoods that are still relatively homogenous to this day. In order to ascertain how UPK could combat these issues stemming from historic racial segregation, I evaluate programs in three states to highlight the approach to UPK that each has implemented: New York, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Program features in Oklahoma have produced high-quality standards and the program has reached a larger percentage of 4-year-olds. I discuss multiple dimensions of proposed education reform, particularly for students of color, including the culturally-situated nature of high-stakes testing and its inability to fully capture student and school progress. I propose a culturally empowering approach to UPK, situated within the Dallas community, as a solution to current educational inequity.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the intervention of attending public school pre-kindergarten reflected an impact on student achievement as measured by third grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) considering gender, English language learner status, socio-economic status, and the language of the test. To determine this impact, the performance of third grade students who attended prekindergarten in 10 selected elementary schools in San Antonio was compared to students in these same schools who did not attend pre-kindergarten. Quantitative techniques and analyses were used to illustrate data collected from the research sample. A t-test for independent means was used for Research Questions #1 and #2. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) procedure was also used to analyze the data as a function of gender, English language learner status, socio-economic status, and the language of the test in Research Question #3. Findings in the study included the following: 1. There was statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS reading scores among the students who attended pre-kindergarten. 2. There was statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS math scores among the students who attended pre-kindergarten. 3. There was no statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS reading or math among the students who attended or did not attend pre-kindergarten based on gender, socio-economic, English language learner status, and the language of the test.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

Research continues to substantiate the influence of social, economic and family characteristics on students’ scholastic achievements. For example, children who are born in economically disadvantaged circumstances are more likely to score lower on tests that measure academic abilities than their same age economically advantaged peers (Brooks-Gunn and Markman, 2005; Rothstein, 2004). This dissertation examines the relationship between parenting interactions and young children's school readiness and initial academic success for a low-income, at-risk population in Georgia. The inter-disciplinary concept resiliency, defined as a process that encompasses positive adaptation within the context of significant adversity, frames the research (Arnold and Doctoroff, 2003; Henry et al 2005; Luthar, Cicchetti, and Becker (2000), p. 543). This dissertation utilized a subsample from a larger evaluation project, The Georgia Early Childhood Study, which looked at the effects of a state-funded universal Pre-K program. Participants in this study were at-risk children who attended either state lottery funded Georgia Pre-K or federally funded Head Start. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used. Quantitative data included norm-referenced test scores, teacher ratings, and parental surveys. Results show that at-risk children categorized as non-resilient scored lower on standardized assessments over a three-year period and were more likely to attend preschools of lower quality than their similarly economically advantaged counterparts. Qualitative data were used to gain an understanding of parental involvement that is not generally captured with traditional survey methods. The qualitative study encompassed in-depth interviews with parents of children classified as at-risk. The results show that parents report involvement in their child’s schooling, but that involvement among the non-resilient populations was more peripheral. Parents of children from the resilient group were more likely to use language that indicated involvement as a partner in their child’s education than parents from children in the non-resilient group. Parents from both groups, however, reported the difficulties they face in raising their children and were cognizant of the ways that being from a lower socio-economic group translates into parenting difficulties.

Empirical research on parents’ decision making process and parents’ actual criteria when considering preschool is critical when considering its relationship to early educational experiences and subsequent outcomes for children. Research has consistently demonstrated that the type and quality of preschool program children attend has implications for future academic success. A review of past research suggests parents often have difficulty assessing quality and include a wide range of considerations that include both practical and educational features of care. The current study utilized a transactional ecological framework to examine parent considerations and related family, child and cultural factors. A series of focus groups and interviews were conducted with parents to identify parent considerations and inform creation of a survey measure designed to assess these considerations. Surveys were then completed by 203 parents from varying socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds who had a child that qualified for state-funded preschool the following year. Parents were recruited from 20 centers including Head Start programs, private-for profit programs, religiously affiliated programs and one YMCA center. Exploratory factor analysis identified two highly correlated categories of considerations: 1) characteristics that designate several types of quality indicators and 2) characteristics that designate a program’s practical features. A series of hierarchical regressions indicated a combination of cultural, family and child factors are important when assessing parents’ considerations for pre-kindergarten. In particular, socioeconomic status, parents’ beliefs about childrearing and involvement and children’s prosocial skills and family structure were uniquely related to parental endorsement of quality and practical considerations. These findings have important implications for policymakers and practitioners.

Empirical research on parents’ decision making process and parents’ actual criteria when considering preschool is critical when considering its relationship to early educational experiences and subsequent outcomes for children. Research has consistently demonstrated that the type and quality of preschool program children attend has implications for future academic success. A review of past research suggests parents often have difficulty assessing quality and include a wide range of considerations that include both practical and educational features of care. The current study utilized a transactional ecological framework to examine parent considerations and related family, child and cultural factors. A series of focus groups and interviews were conducted with parents to identify parent considerations and inform creation of a survey measure designed to assess these considerations. Surveys were then completed by 203 parents from varying socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds who had a child that qualified for state-funded preschool the following year. Parents were recruited from 20 centers including Head Start programs, private-for profit programs, religiously affiliated programs and one YMCA center. Exploratory factor analysis identified two highly correlated categories of considerations: 1) characteristics that designate several types of quality indicators and 2) characteristics that designate a program’s practical features. A series of hierarchical regressions indicated a combination of cultural, family and child factors are important when assessing parents’ considerations for pre-kindergarten. In particular, socioeconomic status, parents’ beliefs about childrearing and involvement and children’s prosocial skills and family structure were uniquely related to parental endorsement of quality and practical considerations. These findings have important implications for policymakers and practitioners.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the construct and criterion validity of a shortened form of the Total Individual Progress Level I Pre-kindergarten Screen (TIP-SF). The subjects for the analysis of construct validity were 342 students from a rural and suburban school district in east-central Indiana who were administered the TIP-SF prior to kindergarten entrance during the years 1985 and 1986. The subjects for the analysis of criterion validity were a subset of 153 students who were administered the TIP and TIP-SF prior to kindergarten entrance in 1985, and were subsequently administered the PMARP prior to their first grade year in 1986.Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was conducted to evaluate the underlying constructs of TIP-SF. From the 28 items entered as variables, 10 factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.00 emerged. One-, two-, three-, four-, and five-factor solutions were successively imposed and evaluated. The solution containing four factors,Scholastic Aptitude, Motor, Eye/Hand Coordination, and Communication, was selected as the "best" solution. The obtained factors were similar in number, but dissimilar in nature to the pre-established subscales.Simple and step-wise multiple regression and canonical correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relative ability of scores obtained from TIP and TIP-SF to predict performance on Primary Mental Abilities Readiness Profile (PMARP) subtests. In each of the four canonical analyses, one significant and meaningful correlation between the sets of predictor and criterion variables was obtained. Step-wise multiple regression analyses were used to determine more specifically the predictive ability of TIP and TIP-SF factors and pre-established subscales. Zero-order correlations were computed between the TIP and TIP-SF total scores and the PMARP subscales.Overall, the results of these analyses indicate that the use of the TIP total score provides the best prediction of PMARP subscales. While the TIP-SF total score reliability is comparable to that for the TIP total score, it was not generally as highly related to the PMARP subscale scores. The linear composites of the TIP and TIP-SF factor scores and TIP pre-established subscale scores were approximately equivalent to one another for the prediction of PMARP scores.