Friday, December 7, 2007 - 7:30am to Saturday, December 8, 2007 - 3:00pm
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development, Human Capital Conference Series on Early Childhood Development
Summary
This conference will present recent research on the effects of early childhood programs and services defined broadly. It integrates four critical themes in the field. The first is children’s stage of development. The focus is the entire period of early learning from prenatal development to early school age. The second major theme is cost effectiveness. Given the greater use of cost-benefit analysis in social and educational research, knowledge about the level of cost effectiveness of early childhood programs across stages of development is needed more than ever. The third theme is program focus, which includes the intervention goals, content and services, ranging from prenatal nutrition and parenting education to school readiness and achievement. The fourth theme is scale. Programs vary dramatically in size and scope, target population, structure, and funding. These range from one-site intensive interventions to federal or state-funded programs serving thousands of families at different levels of service. Considered together, these themes provide a unique and comprehensive framework to better understand the effects of early childhood programs and their contributions to society.
AGENDA, DAY 1: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2007
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
7:30–8:00 A.M.
Introduction
8:00–8:45 a.m.
Introduction [pdf]
Arthur Reynolds, University of Minnesota
Art Rolnick, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Welcome
Robert Bruininks, President, University of Minnesota
PART I: PRENATAL AND INFANT PROGRAMS
Session 1:
Services Intensive Interventions with Long-Term Follow-Up
8:45–10:15 a.m.
“WIC turns 35: Program Effectiveness and Future Directions”
Barbara Devaney, Mathematica Policy Research
“The Nurse Family Partnership: From Trials to Practice”
David Olds, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Carolina Abecedarian Project
Frances Campbell, University of North Carolina
Craig Ramey, Georgetown University
Q&A
Break
10:15–10:30 a.m.
Session 2:
Programs and Services with Shorter-Term Follow-up
10:30–11:45 a.m.
Early Head Start [pdf] [Findings]
Helen Raikes, University of Nebraska (speaker)
Ellen Kisker (co-author)
“Links between early child care (quality, type, and hours) and child developmental outcomes: Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care”
Deborah Vandell (speaker), University of California-Irvine
Margaret Burchinal (co-author)
Nathan Vandergrift (co-author)
Q & A
Lunch
11:45–12:45 p.m.
Speaker
Edward Zigler, Yale University
PART II: PRESCHOOL EDUCATION
Session 3:
Model and Established Programs with Comprehensive Services
1:00–2:30 p.m.
“Interim Findings of the Head Start Impact Study”
Ronna Cook, Westat
“How to Take the High/Scope Perry Preschool to Scale”
Larry Schweinhart, High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
“Impacts and Implications of the Child-Parent Center Preschool Program"
Arthur Reynolds, University of Minnesota
Judy Temple, University of Minnesota
Suh-Ruu Ou, University of Minnesota
Q & A
Break
2:30–2:45 p.m.
Session 4:
State Prekindergarten Programs
2:45–5:15 p.m.
“Small Miracles in Tulsa: The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development”
William Gormley, Georgetown University
“Lessons from the Evaluation of the Michigan School Readiness Program”
Lena Malofeeva and Larry Schweinhart(speakers), High/Scope Educational Research Foundation,
Marijata Daniel-Echols (co-author)
“Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (Apples) Year One Findings”
Steve Barnett (speaker), NIEER and
Ellen Frede (co-author)
Q & A
Social Hour
5:30–6:30 p.m.
Dinner Remarks
6:30–8:00 p.m.
Speaker
Gary Stern, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Agenda, Day 2: Saturday, December 8, 2007
Continental Breakfast
8:00–8:30 a.m.
PART III: KINDERGARTEN AND EARLY SCHOOL AGE SERVICES
Session 5:
Transition to School Programs and Services
8:30–10:15 a.m.
“School Readiness, Full-Day Kindergarten, and Student Achievement: An Empirical Investigation” [pdf]
Vi-Nhuan Le, RAND (speaker)
Sheila Nataraj Kirby (co-author)
Heather Barney (co-author)
Claude Messan Setodji (co-author)
Daniel Gershwin (co-author)
“Small Classes in the Early Grades: One Policy, Multiple Outcomes” [pdf] [Slides] [Tables]
Jeremy D. Finn, University at Buffalo–SUNY (speaker)
Allison E. Suriani (co-author)
Charles M. Achilles (co-author)
“Opportunity in Early Education—Improving Teacher-Child Interactions and Child Outcomes” [pdf] [Slides]
Andrew J. Mashburn, University of Virginia (speaker)
Robert Pianta (co-author)
Q&A
Break
10:15–10:30 a.m.
PART IV: ECONOMIC SYNTHESES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD INVESTMENTS
Session 6:
Cost-Benefit Analyses and Life-Course Impact
10:30–11:45 a.m.
“The Cost Effectiveness of Public Investment in High-Quality Prekindergarten: A State Level Synthesis" [pdf] [Slides]
Robert Lynch, Washington College
“The Fiscal Returns to Public Educational Investments in African American Males” [pdf] [Slides]
Clive Belfield, Queens College, City University of New York (speaker)
Henry Levin (co-author)
Lunch
11:45–12:30 p.m.
Session 7:
Studies of the Consortium of Early Childhood Development
12:30–2:45 p.m.
Reanalysis of the Perry Preschool Study
James Heckman, University of Chicago
“Formulating, Identifying and Estimating the Technology of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skill Formation”
Flavio Cunha, University of Pennsylvania
James Heckman, University of Chicago
“Mechanisms of Influence from Preschool to Educational Attainment: A Three-Study Analysis”
Arthur Reynolds
Michelle Englund
Suh-Ruu Ou, University of Minnesota
Larry Schweinhart, High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
Frances Campbell, University of North Carolina