Effects of the Tennessee Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program on School Readiness

This study includes a randomized control experiment, but that component could only be implemented in a limited number of schools with more applicants than seats in the pre-k program. Informative as that component is about the effects of Tennessee Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (TN-VPK), the participating schools do not provide a representative sample of the TN-VPK classrooms in Tennessee. To provide a more representative statewide picture, a stratified random sample of schools with TNVPK classrooms was drawn and enrolled in an age cutoff regression-discontinuity designs. This design was made possible because TN-VPK has explicit age requirements that are implemented as a strict age cutoffs for TN-VPK eligibility in all schools. Using the two designs concurrently, this study seeks to determine the statewide effect of TN-VPK on both the kindergarten readiness of the participating children and their long-term cognitive and behavioral skills, including performance on the state-administered achievement tests in the third grade. A secondary purpose is to investigate the relationships between those outcomes and the characteristics of the TN-VPK classrooms, e.g., the curriculum used, teacher credentials, and classroom quality, and structural support and monitoring at the district and school levels, detecting impact heterogeneity by these characteristics.