Given the following scenario, which preschool model should the city choose to best meet its primary objective? Explain your reasoning based on principles of early childhood development.

Preschool Program Design

Another approach to closing the early achievement gap is to design preschools that enroll students from a mix of economic backgrounds. Research has shown that placing children from lower socioeconomic status in the same classrooms as their higher-status peers can lead to significant gains in their language development (Schechter & Byeb, 2007).

Google

Several intervention strategies have been developed to address the achievement gap that originates from disparities in early childhood experiences before children enter formal schooling. These solutions focus on mitigating the factors that contribute to the gap at a very young age.

Interventions for the Pre-School Achievement Gap

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Socioeconomically Diverse Preschools

A key problem in the field is identifying additional effective methods and community-based activities to decrease the achievement gap. The challenge lies in developing and implementing new interventions that can support the early development of children in various community settings.

Further Research on Achievement Gap Interventions

One intervention strategy involves experts visiting low-income families in their homes to encourage parents to increase the frequency and richness of verbal interactions with their children on a daily and hourly basis. An example of this approach is a program run by the University of Chicago.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After