Study finds preschool reduces the need for special education

A study by Duke University found that students who attended one of two state-run preschool programs were less likely to be placed in special education in the third grade than students who did not. This not only helps the students, but alleviates expensive special education costs as well.
 

Researchers compared the funding levels for preschool in 100 North Carolina counties to the third grade special education placements in those counties during a 13-year period. They found that the state-run preschool programs "Smart Start," which provided health screening and childcare to children under five, and "More at Four," (now called "NC Prekindergarten Program") which offered preschool slots to disadvantaged four-year-olds, demonstrated a 39% reduction in special education placement when compared to counties not using these programs. Placements diminished most for the preventable categories of specific learning disability, educable mental handicap, and other health impairments. Less malleable categories of physical disability, speech-language impairments and behavioral-emotional disabilities were not affected.

 Special education programs cost twice as much as regular education programs, and the authors outline the savings from the implementation of the two state-run preschool programs.

Johns Hopkins University 

Research in Brief

News Blast