What the Tennessee Study Really Means

The Brookings Institution has provided a new take on the widely reported Tennessee pre-K study. Christina Weiland, Daphne Bassok and Deborah A. Phillips, in their article, "What does the Tennessee pre-K study really tell us about public preschool programs?" wrote:

"The study, which examines the program’s impact through sixth grade, confirms what we already knew: The Tennessee program as it existed in 2009 and 2010 led to worse academic and behavioral outcomes than the available alternatives. Critics are asking whether large-scale investments are justifiable in preschool, and in ECE programs more broadly, given the findings of this careful experimental study.

Our read of the very large existing literature on the effects of preschool and other public investments in children’s early years leads us to conclude: Substantial investments in ECE are well supported by research, make good policy sense, and are urgently needed. This new study doesn’t change that. It does, however, drive home just how critical it is to hold the line on quality in any ECE expansion, and to continue to learn how to design programs so they best serve children, families, and society."

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