This issue brief describes children's development in the Los Angeles Universal Preschool program during 2010–2011. English-proficient students showed significant growth in early literacy skills from fall to spring, with their mean scores exceeding the national average. However, their...

Research in the past few decades illustrating the potential benefits of quality early childhood education has led to an increase in state-funded programming. This paper discusses measurement of child outcomes in the context of evaluating effectiveness of preschool programs and highlights ways in...

Educators and policymakers have long debated which textbooks and their associated instructional approaches have the greatest impact on student learning in key subjects. Mathematica’s large-scale federal study of the effectiveness of four early math programs brings new clarity to what works in...

This report describes the group of children who first entered Head Start in fall 2006 either as a 3- or 4- year old, completed one or two years in the program, and attended kindergarten the year after completing Head Start. Head Start children make progress in important school readiness skills...

This brief profiles the second year in the program for 3-year-old Head Start children and families who were newly enrolled in fall 2006 and are still attending in spring 2008. These children begin their program experience scoring below norms across developmental areas. By the end of their second...

Mathematica provided technical assistance in developing and estimating VAMs for use in Phase 1 of the pilot.