Changed Lives: The Effects of the Perry Preschool Program on Youths through Age 19 ...

224 Pages·2007·2.99 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 313 128 PS 018 393
AUTHOR Berrueta-Clement, John R.; And Others
TITLE Changed Lives: The Effects of the Perry Preschool
Program on .Youths through Age 19. Monographs of the
High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, Number
Eight.
INSTITUTION High/Scope Educational Research Foundation,
Ypsilanti, Mich.
REPORT NO ISBN-0-931114-28-4
PUB DATE 84
NOTE 224p.
AVAILABLE FROM Monograph Series, High/Scope Foundation, 600 North
River Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 ($15.00, plus
shipping).
PUB TYPE Reports - Research/Technical (143)
EDRS PRICE MFO1 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS.
DESCRIPTORS *Academic Achievement; Case Studies; Compensatory
Education; *Early Childhood Education; Early
Experience; Etiology; Longitudinal Studies; *Low
Income Groups; *Outcomes of Education; Research
Design; *Social Responsibility; Youth
IDENTIFIERS *Perry Preschool Project; *Socioeconomic Success
ABSTRACT
This study is the eigPi-h-in-a-teries of reports of
longitudinal research on the long-telm effects of participation
versus nonparticipation in a program of high quality early childhood
education, on 123 black youths from families of low, socioeconomic
status, who were at risk of failing in school. The study finds that
young people up to 19 years of age who attended the High/Scope
Educational Research Foundation's Perry Preschool Program *PPP) in
the early 1960s continue to outperform peers who did not attend
preschool. The PPP provided an organized educational experience
directed at the intellectual and social development of young children
who participated, in most cases, for 2 years when they were 3 and 4
years of age. Fifty-eight children were assigned to the preschool
group called the experimental group and 65 children were assigned to
the no-preschool group called the control group. The Perry Preschool
study addressed the issue of whether high quality early childhood
education would improve the lives of low-income children and their
families, and the quality of life of the community as a whole.
Sections of the report concern: (1) the background and context of the
Perry Preschool Study; (2) preschool's effects on school success,
early socioeconomic success, and social responsibility; (3) review
and interpretation of study outcomes over time; (4) preschool's
long-term impact; (5) the lessons of early childhood research; and
(6) nine case studies of children growing up in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
An appendix provides information about supplementary analyses of the
data. Three commentaries on the study are included. (RH)
********************************************************************.**
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
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Monographs of the OfficeU o.Sf E. DduEcPaAtioRnTaMl REeNsTe aOrFch E aDnUd CImApTrIoOvNement '1111._
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INcORMATION'
CENTER (ERIC/
High/Scope Educational 0 Trheicse divoecdu hmoern i thae sp beerseonn roerp ororgdaunciezdatioans
originating it.
Research Foundation Meipnroord cuhcatinogne dsu haal.vtye. been made to improve
Points of view or opinions stated in this docu
Number Eight meet do not necessarily represent official
OERI position or policy,
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY
HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
QN-IRs R.
* 1 y en
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)"
Board of Directors The High/Scope Educational Research Foundation is an in-
dependent. nonprofit research, development, and training
William F. Dannemiller
organization with headquarters in Ypsilanti. Michigan. The
Attorney. Ypsilanti Foundation's principal goals are to promote the learning and
development of children from infancy through adolescence
Dr. Robert L. Egbert
and to support teachers and parents as they help children
George W. Holmes Professor of Education
learn and grow. The Foundation conducts national and inter-
Teachers College
national projects in research, program development, profes-
University of NebraskaLincoln
sional training, publishing, and public outreach, with
Dr. Phillips W. Foster funding support from both governmental and private
sources.
Professor of Resource Economics
University of Maryland This monograph is the eighth in a series reporting the
Foundation's longitudinal research on the effects of early
Dr. James G. Gosselink childhood education. The findings reported herein indicate
Professor and Chairman that the young people who attended the Foundation's Perry
Department of Marine Sciences Preschool program in the early 1960s continue to outperform
Louisiana State University peers who did not attend preschool, in terms of both school
and life success.
Joseph L. Molder
Headmaster, Westover School
Middlebury. Connecticut
Phyllis S. Weikart
Assistant Professor
Department of Physical Education
University of Michigan
David P. Weikart
President. High/Scope
Educational Research Foundation
3
Monographs of the
High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
Number Eight
CHANGED LIVES
The Effects of the
Perry Preschool Program on
Youths Through Age 19
John R. Berrueta-Clement
Lawrehce J. Schweinhart
W. Steven Barnett
Ann S. Epstein
David P. Weikart
with a preface by
David P. Weikart
and commentaries by
Marie Skodak Crissey
Edward Gramlich
University of Michigan
Julius Richmond and Milton Kotelchuck
Harvard University
HIGH/SCOPE
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Ypsilanti, Michigan
THE
HIGH/SCOPE
PRESS
)
Copyright ' 1984 by the High/Scope Educational
Research Foundation. All rights
reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and
recording. or by
t ny information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the
publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Changed lives.
(Monographs of the High/Scope Educational Research
Foundation: no. 8)
Bibliography: p.
1. Perry Preschool Project history. 2. Socially
handicapped childrenEducationMichiganYpsilanti.
3. Socially handicapped children Michigan Ypsilanti
Psychology. 4. StudentsMichiganYpsilantiSocio-
economic status. 5. YouthMichiganYpsilantiPsych-
ology. L B.-Clement, John R.B.- (John R. Berrueta-).
1943- . II. Series.
LC4092.M42C46 1984 371.06'7 84-12945
ISBN 0-931114-28-4
Printed in the United States of America
v
Contents
Tables and Figures ix
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
I. Background and Context of the Perry Preschool Study 1
Summary of the Study 1
Conceptual Framework 2
The Transactional Approach 3
The Causal Model 3
Experimental Design 5
Selecting Children for the Study 6
Assignment to Groups 7
The Preschool Program 8
Data Collection, Analysis, and Presentation 8
Methods of Analysis 11
Case Study Data Collection and Analysis 11
Ypsilanti's Black Community 12
Ypsilanti: An Overview 12
Employment and Business 13
Housing 14
Politics 15
Education 16
Summary 18
II. Preschool's Effects on School Success 21
Processes Underlying School Success 22
Earlier Effects of Preschool and Schor Performance and
Attitudes 23
Effects on School Performance 24
Effects on School Placement and Experiences 25
Effects on Commitment to Schooling 27
Effects on Educational Attainment 30
Effects on Competence in Skills of Everyday Life 32
An Economic Analysis of Preschool's Effects on School
Success 36
Summary 40
III. Preschool's Effects on Early Socioeconomic Success 43
The Concept and Measurement of Early Socioeconomic
Success 43
Effects of Preschool on Employment and Earnings 46
Effects of Preschool on Occupational Aspirations 46
Effects of Preschool on Economic Dependence and
Self- Support 48
Effects of Preschool on Other Economic Activities 50
C
vi
Effects of Preschool on Attitudes Toward Work and Pay 52
Economic Analysis of Preschool's Effects on Early
Socioeconomic Success 52
Summary 56
IV. Preschool's Effects on Social Responsibility '61
The Components of Social Responsibility 61
Earlier Effects of Preschool on Social Responsibility 62
Involvement with the Legal System: Effects of Preschool on
Delinquent Behavior and Misbehavior 62
Effects of Preschool on Family Linkages 69
Effects of Preschool on Relations with Neighbors and the
Community 69
Effects of Preschool on Other Personal and Social
Characteristics 71
Economic Implications of Preschool's Effects on
Social Responsibility 73
V. Reviewing and Interpreting Study Outcomes
over Time 76
Summary of Group Differences 77
Immediate Effects of Preschool on School Success 77
Later Effects of Preschool on School Success 77
Preschool's Effects on Early Socioeconomic Success 78
Preschool's Effects on Social Responsibility Through Early
Adulthood 78
A Causal Model of Preschool's Effects 79
A Summary of the Economic Analysis 83
The Costs of Early Education 83
The Benefits Resulting from Program Outcomes 86
Summation of Costs and Benefits 89
VI. Preschool's Long-Term Impact: Summary of the Evidence
94
The Seven Studies 94
Design of the Seven Studies 96
The Seven Samples 98
The Seven Programs 99
The Analyses of Multiple Studies ?
Findings 100
Improved Intellectual Performance 101
Better Scholastic Placement 101
Improved Scholastic Achievement 103
Findings on Adolescent Behavior 104
Summary of Findings 104
VII. The Lessons of Early Childhood Research 106
The Nature of Preschool's Effectiveness 107
Are There Key Ingredients in Successful Programs? 107
Quality: The Key to Preschool's Long-Term Effectiveness 109
Who Profits MoSt from a Good Preschool Program? 110
Should Public Resources Be Allocated for Preschool Ser-
vices? 111
7
vii
Can This Research Be Used by Policymakers? 112
The Need to Reach the Public 112
The Challenge to the Nation 114
VIII. Growing Up in Ypsilanti: The Case Studies 116
Introduction 117
Case Study: Jerry Andrews 119
Case Study: Yvonne Barnes 126
Case Study: Calvin Charles 134
Case Study: Gerald Daniels 141
Case Study: Bonita Emerson 148
Case Study: Marlene Franklin 155
Case Study: Dwight Gaines 161
Case Study: Gloria Henderson 167
Case Study Conclusions 176
Appendix 181
References 189
Commentary by Marie Skodak Crissey 193
Commentary by Edward M. Gramlich 200
Commentary by Julius Richmond and Milton Kotelchuck 204
ri
U
is
Tables and Figures
Tables
1 Major Findings at Age 19 in the Pery Preschool Study 2
2 Calendar Year Status of Waves 6
3 Outcome Variables: Scholastic Success 9
4 Outcome.Variables: Socioeconomic Success and Social Responsibility 10
5 School Performance 24
6 School Placement and Experience 26
7 Attitude Toward High School 28
8 Educational Attainment 31
9 APL Survey: Task Examples Organized by Content and Skills 33
10 Comparison of APL Survey Total Score Distributions 36
11 Average Costs per Child (in 1981 Dollars) of Elementary and Secondary
Education, and Costs per Year of Education Attained 38
12 Employment and Earnings Through Age 19 47
13 Economic Independence and Sources of Support 49
14 Other Economic Activities Through Age 19 51
15 Attitudes Toward Work and Pay 53
16 Present Value of Preschool's Effect on Lifetime Earnings 54
17 Present Value of Average Welfare Reduction Attributable to Preschool 57
18 Present Value of Preschool's Effect on Socioeconomic Success 57
19 Summary of Police and Court Records 64
20 Summary of Official Juvenile Delinquency Records 65
21 Summary of Official Adult Crime Records 66
22 Self-Report Data at Age-19 Interview 68
23 General Self-Esteem by Group 72
24 Present Value of Crime Reduction 75
25 Perry Preschool Total Program Costs 85
26 Summary of Costs and Benefits 90
27 Preschool's Effect on Measured Economic Benefits 91
28 Distribution of Costs and Benefits 91
29 The Seven Studies: Identifying Information 96
30 The Seven Studies: Design Information 97
31 The Seven Studies: Program Information 99
32 The Seven Studies: Findings for Scholastic Placement 102
33 Summary of Case Study Comparisons 178
A-1 P-Values for Differences Between Preschool and No-Preschool Groups:
Education and Related Outcomes 183
A-2 P-Values for Differences Between Preschool and No-Preschool Groups:
Economic and Related Outcomes 184
A-3 P-Values for Differences Between Preschool and No-Preschool Groups:
Social Responsibility Outcomes 185
A-4 Analysis of Differential Attrition for School Records 186
A-5 Correlation Matrix for the 12 Variables in the Causal Model 187
x
Figures
1 Transactional Model of Preschool's Effects 4
2 School Success in the Study's Conceptual Framework
23
3 Comparison of School Experiences 27
4 Educational Attainment Through Age 19 32
5 APL Survey Results 35
6 Comparison of Arrests anu Charges by Group 67
7 A Causal Model for Effe.'..rs of the Perry Preschool Program 80
8 A Causal Model for Effects of the Perry Preschool Program in the Context
of Important Background Variables and Interrelations 81
1 0