Working Paper: NBER ID: w14951
Authors: Elizabeth U. Cascio
Abstract: In the 1960s and 1970s, many states introduced grants for school districts offering kindergarten programs. This paper exploits the staggered timing of these initiatives to estimate the long-term effects of a large public investment in universal early education. I find that white children aged five after the typical state reform were less likely to be high school dropouts and had lower institutionalization rates as adults. I rule out similar positive effects for blacks, despite comparable increases in their enrollment in public kindergartens in response to the initiatives. The explanation for this finding that receives most empirical support is that state funding for kindergarten crowded out participation in federally-funded early education among the poorest five year olds.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: H75; I28; J15; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Educational attainment (high school dropout rates) (I21) |
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Institutionalization rates (I24) |
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Participation in federally funded early education programs (like Head Start) (I24) |
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Educational outcomes for black children (I24) |
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Grade retention (I21) |
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Public assistance receipt (H53) |
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Employment (J68) |
| State funding initiatives for kindergarten (I22) | Earnings (J31) |