Measuring impact of New Mexico prekindergarten on standardized test scores and high school graduation using propensity score matching.
Jon R Courtney, Janelle Taylor Garcia, Jacob Rowberry, Nathan Eckberg, Sarah M Dinces, Clayton S Lobaugh, Ryan T Tolman
Author Information
Jon R Courtney: State of New Mexico, Legislative Finance Committee, Program Evaluation Unit, 325 Don Gaspar Ave, Suite 101, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA. ORCID
Janelle Taylor Garcia: State of New Mexico, Legislative Finance Committee, Program Evaluation Unit, 325 Don Gaspar Ave, Suite 101, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA.
Jacob Rowberry: State of New Mexico, Legislative Finance Committee, Program Evaluation Unit, 325 Don Gaspar Ave, Suite 101, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA.
Nathan Eckberg: State of New Mexico, Legislative Finance Committee, Program Evaluation Unit, 325 Don Gaspar Ave, Suite 101, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA.
Sarah M Dinces: State of New Mexico, Legislative Finance Committee, Program Evaluation Unit, 325 Don Gaspar Ave, Suite 101, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA.
Clayton S Lobaugh: State of New Mexico, Legislative Finance Committee, Program Evaluation Unit, 325 Don Gaspar Ave, Suite 101, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA.
Ryan T Tolman: State of New Mexico, Legislative Finance Committee, Program Evaluation Unit, 325 Don Gaspar Ave, Suite 101, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA.
The long-term impact of prekindergarten programs is an important consideration given the trend of dedicating more resources to these programs. However, long-term impact of prekindergarten programs is not well-understood and recent studies have shown preschool effectiveness can vary across states and programs. A state run prekindergarten program in New Mexico was examined using propensity score matching to minimize selection bias. The research revealed a number of long-term impacts corresponding with prekindergarten participation for the cohort including a 9.7 percentage point increase in high school graduation rates and improved reading and math proficiency at third, sixth, and eighth grades. Considerations for future research and challenges in implementing prekindergarten programs are discussed.
