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Classroom JPE Study2
Journal Publication

Preschool Quality and Child Development

Andrew, Alison, Orazio P. Attanasio, Raquel Bernal, Lina Cardona Sosa, Sonya Krutikova, and Marta Rubio-Codina. "Preschool Quality and Child Development." 2024. Journal of Political Economy. 132:7, 2304-2345.

Results at a Glance

  • The TA program alone had no positive impacts on child development, despite high compliance and the fact that it represented a large increase in government investment in preschools.
  • The authors found that teachers responded to the program by reducing their overall involvement in classroom activities, delegating much to (often untrained) TAs, thus inhibiting child development.
  • However, moderate extra training of the existing teachers did have significant positive impacts on child development.
  • This training program prompted teachers to delegate only specific activities to TAs, and to focus more on improving teaching quality and spending more time on learning activities.
  • Overall, additional school resources can be effective when accompanied by guidance on how to utilize them. Without guidance, such provision might generate unintended consequences.

Read the full summary here: New Research: Did Colombia’s Nationwide Preschool Expansion Benefit Students?