Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (TN-VPK): Preparing Economically Disadvantaged Children for Kindergarten Entry
Intervention Details
Subjects
English Language Arts, MathAcademic Program
Early ChildhoodDuration
Full school yearGrades
Pre-K, K, 1, 2, 3Personnel
General Education Teacher, Instructional Aide, Paraprofessional
Intervention Summary
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) is a state-funded prekindergarten program offered to the neediest children in Tennessee. It is a full-day program that operates on the same calendar as the rest of the public school system in Tennessee, with a licensed teacher and aide in every classroom, a maximum of 20 children per class, and a curriculum chosen from a state-approved list.
Grades
Pre-K, K, 1, 2, 3Personnel
General Education Teacher, Instructional Aide, ParaprofessionalStatistical Finding Summary
Positive effect on school readiness of economically disadvantaged children at kindergarten entry
Positive effect on children's work-related and social behavior, their feelings about school, and how well prepared to participate in kindergarten
Positive effect on children who were learning English and whose mothers had less than a high school degree
No effect on children's achievement by the end of kindergarten
Negative effect on children's achievement by the end of second and third grade
Negative effect on children's behavior by the spring of the first grade year
Source
Dale C., F., Kerry G., H. & Mark W., L. (2015). A Randomized Control Trial of a Statewide Voluntary Prekindergarten Program on Children's Skills and Behaviors through Third Grade. Research Report (ED566664). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED566664.pdf.
Data Sample by Population
These charts show the characteristics of the student populations studied. When assessing programs, you may want to prioritize interventions that yielded success in a similar demographic environment as your school or district.