| dc.description.abstract | Ackerman and Barnett (2005) suggest that “future academic success is dependent
on being ready to learn and participate in a successful kindergarten experience” (p. 1).
More importantly, a quality preschool experience has the potential to reduce gaps in
achievement and the reproduction of socioeconomic inequalities that persist among
disadvantaged families (Crosnoe, Purtell, Davis-Kean, Ansari, & Benner, 2016). Research
has also indicated that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at a
disadvantage, as they begin school with fewer academic skills and greater gaps in
cognitive and academic competencies than their more advantaged peers (Stipek & Ryan,
1997). According to Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, and Waldfogel (2004), “differences in
children’s childhood experiences play a formative role in shaping school readiness and
largely explain the skill gaps at school entry” (2004, p. 117).
The Evanston/Skokie School District 65 in Evanston, Illinois is situated in a
uniquely diverse community with a host of racial, socioeconomic, linguistic identities.
Consequently, the district has directed its focus on enhancing the levels of equity among
its students. Recognizing gaps in achievement in its minority population, the district
narrowed its scope to address the early childhood experiences among its students,
particularly minorities. Despite the fact that 95% of its incoming kindergarten class had
some form of preschool experience, gaps were observed in kindergarten readiness
between black and white students, leading to achievement gaps in later years.
In order to improve outcomes for its disadvantaged and minority students, the
district sought to better understand possible reasons for these gaps. This capstone project
was designed to analyze and address both the types of services rendered by early
education program providers, as well as the parents’ perspectives on education, to learn
about the nature and quality of the educational experiences these children have had
before entering school. | en_US |
