Shelby County Pre-K Data Show Positive Impacts Lasting Through 7th Grade
Local policy experts note improvements in Pre-K landscape with new analysis.
(Memphis, TN) – A newly released analysis of Shelby County’s public Pre-K program suggests that Pre-K investments made over the past decade have helped students who attend to outperform peers by as much as 15 percent – or the equivalent of receiving an additional month of instruction per school year – according to policy experts at First 8 Memphis (F8M), Seeding Success, and Memphis Shelby County Schools (M-SCS).
Improvements in the quality of early education options prompted the district and its partners at First 8 Memphis and Seeding Success to perform data analysis to understand the impact of its long-standing Pre-K program while taking into account changes to Pre-K classrooms over the past decade. Education advocates from both organizations say the recent analysis of test scores from 26,500 students who received high-quality Pre-K as 4-year-olds tells a “hopeful” story about the program’s long-term impacts.
“High-Quality Pre-K programs are one of our primary strategies to ensure that young
children enter Kindergarten ready to learn and for making sure that the children who need it most are getting the additional support to level the playing field for school readiness,” says Kandace Thomas MPP, PhD, Executive Director of First 8 Memphis. “Nearly every study shows that children who receive Pre-K have a far greater chance of academic and social-emotional gains in school than those who do not. This latest report adds critical policy and historical context to discussions about Pre-K’s impact – and to future evaluations of investment in early childhood education.”
Memphis-Shelby County Schools serves approximately 5,000 Pre-K students across the county, some of which are funded through their partnership with First 8 Memphis. As the leading early childhood systems-building organization in Memphis and Shelby County, First 8 Memphis works to improve systems for early childhood care and education and administers funding for the city and county’s comprehensive Pre-K program, which includes 80 classrooms and 1,600 students as of the 2021-22 school year.
Since 2013, Seeding Success has partnered with M-SCS to understand the impact of cradle-to-career strategies on student success including conducting this latest examination of early childhood interventions. Available on First 8 Memphis' website, the analysis includes the following takeaways:
Pre-K as an intervention strategy has improved district outcomes by 13-15 percent – a performance increase equivalent to an extra 27 days in school each year.
While the most significant impact of Pre-K interventions can be seen in Kindergarten, results from i-Ready suggest that the positive effects persist through at least third grade.
Citing significant improvements to the state’s voluntary Pre-K programs – and to the overall early education landscape in Tennessee over the last decade – education policy experts at First 8 Memphis, Seeding Success, and Memphis-Shelby County Schools became curious about what more recent data from Shelby County could reveal.
“Today’s Pre-K classrooms operate very differently than they did even a decade ago,” says Divalyn Gordon, executive director of M-SCS early childhood programs. “Not only are our youngest learners getting a critical grounding in literacy and math, but today’s Pre-K curricula include a focus on executive functioning, social-emotional skills, and broader literacy concepts that will help students to stay ahead of the curve as they grow beyond those crucial first years in the classroom.”
As of 2021-2022, all M-SCS and F8M Pre-K classrooms include:
Classes of no more than 20 students with a 1:10 student-to-adult ratio
Teachers who are licensed or hold a bachelor’s degree and teaching assistants who hold at least an associate’s degree in child development
Wraparound services for all classrooms with family engagement personnel providing two-generational support to families
Individualized instructional coaching and support for educators
State-approved curriculum, which aligns to early learning development standards
Community support for program implementation and policy advocacy through the F8M Pre-K Consortium and Leadership Council
To view the full analysis, visit here.
To view Benefits of Pre-K infographic, visit here.
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First 8 Memphis (F8M) works to ensure every child in Memphis and Shelby County can reach their full potential by building a strong start during the first 8 years of life. We are leaders, conveners, and advocates working to implement, scale, and improve the early care and education system for young children during their most critical developmental ages. Success in the first eight years leads to success for a lifetime. Learn more at www.first8memphis.org.
Seeding Success is a Memphis cradle-to-career partnership that seeks to ensure every child has the support and resources they need to succeed. As a leader of systems-level change, the Seeding Success partnership encourages collaboration among diverse partners, by building their capacity to make data-informed decisions that put children at the center; advocates for equity-based policies and funding to remove barriers and sustain improvements; and helps design systems to address disparities. Visit us at www.seeding-success.org
