Introducing CogX: A New Preschool Education Program Combining Parent and Child Interventions

52 Pages Posted: 19 Oct 2020

See all articles by Roland G. Fryer

Roland G. Fryer

Harvard University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); American Bar Foundation; University of Chicago

Steven D. Levitt

University of Chicago; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); American Bar Foundation

John A. List

University of Chicago - Department of Economics

Anya Samek

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Rady School of Management; Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR)

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Date Written: October 16, 2020

Abstract

We present the results of a novel early childhood intervention in which disadvantaged 3-4-year-old children were randomized to receive a new preschool and parent education program focused on cognitive and non-cognitive skills (CogX) or to a control group that did not receive preschool education. In addition to a typical academic year (9 month) program, we also evaluated a shortened summer version of the program (2 months) in which children were treated immediately prior to the start of Kindergarten. Both programs, including the shortened version, significantly improved cognitive test scores by about one quarter of a standard deviation relative to the control group at the end of the year. The shortened version of the program was equally as effective as the academic-year program because most of the gains in the academic-year program occurred within the first few months.

Keywords: J24, C93

JEL Classification: preschool education, human capital, field experiments

Suggested Citation

Fryer, Roland G. and Levitt, Steven D. and List, John A. and Samek, Anya, Introducing CogX: A New Preschool Education Program Combining Parent and Child Interventions (October 16, 2020). University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2020-149, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3714022 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3714022

Roland G. Fryer

Harvard University - Department of Economics ( email )

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Steven D. Levitt

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John A. List (Contact Author)

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Anya Samek

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Rady School of Management ( email )

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