A Path to Equity: From Expanded Pre-Kindergarten Access to Success in Elementary School. Research Brief

In 2013-14, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the nation's third-largest school district, implemented several changes to the policies governing its pre-kindergarten (pre-k) application and enrollment process. Two policy changes that were central to the school district's strategy focused on increasing access to full-day pre-k for high-priority student groups: (1) increasing the overall number of full-day pre-k classrooms within school buildings; and (2) intentionally placing those full-day pre-k classrooms in neighborhoods with a large proportion of age-eligible, high-priority children and historically low rates of enrollment in CPS pre-k. This research examines whether and how access--defined as the distance to the closest school with full-day school-based pre-k and the number of full-day pre-k classrooms near potential students' homes--was related to pre-k enrollment and ongoing learning outcomes in early elementary school. In other words: Does the geographic placement of full-day pre-k classrooms within a school district matter? In prior work, it was found that after these policy changes in Chicago, there were more equitable patterns of pre-k access and enrollment. This brief presents new findings: Geographic placement of full-day pre-k matters not only for more equitable pre-k access and enrollment, but also for academic outcomes in early elementary school. Students--especially in high-priority student groups--who were eligible to enroll in pre-k after the policy changes had higher math scores and grades in early elementary school than did students eligible for pre-k before the policy changes. These benefits are partly explained by the fact that Black students and those living in lowest-income neighborhoods lived closer to full-day school-based pre-k options post-policy, which in turn was related to increased enrollment in full-day pre-k, higher kindergarten entry skills, and ultimately better 2nd grade academic outcomes.