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The authors are grateful to HM Treasury's Evidence Based Policy Fund in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills, the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Department for Media, Culture and Sport for funding this research. They also gratefully acknowledge co-funding from the ESRC through the Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at IFS. They would like to thank Sami Berlinski, Lorraine Dearden and Costas Meghir for their valuable contributions to this work, as well as participants at the conference on ‘Parental Background and Child Outcomes: Does Money Matter and What Else Matters?’, held at IFS on 30 September 2005. The usual disclaimer applies.
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Early Education and Children's Outcomes: How Long Do the Impacts Last?†
Article first published online: 29 NOV 2005
DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-5890.2005.00022.x
Additional Information
How to Cite
Goodman, A. and Sianesi, B. (2005), Early Education and Children's Outcomes: How Long Do the Impacts Last?. Fiscal Studies, 26: 513–548. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-5890.2005.00022.x
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Publication History
- Issue published online: 29 NOV 2005
- Article first published online: 29 NOV 2005
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- I20;
- I21;
- I28;
- I38;
- J13;
- J31
Abstract
We evaluate the effects of undergoing any early education (before the compulsory starting age of 5) and of pre-school on a cohort of British children born in 1958. In contrast to most available studies, we are able to assess whether any effects on cognition and socialisation are long-lasting, as well as to estimate their net impact on subsequent educational attainment and labour market performance.
Controlling for a particularly rich set of child, parental, family and neighbourhood characteristics, we find some positive and long-lasting effects from early education. Specifically, pre-compulsory education (preschool or school entry prior to age 5) was found to yield large improvements in cognitive tests at age 7, which, though diminished in size, remained significant throughout the schooling years, up to age 16. By contrast, attendance of pre-school (nursery or playgroup) was found to yield a positive but short-lived impact on test scores. The effects on socialisation appear to be more mixed: we found some positive, though short-lasting, effects of pre-compulsory education on teachers' reports of social adjustment (only at age 7); on the other hand, we found some adverse behavioural effects according to parental reports at age 7 which persisted up to age 11.
In adulthood, pre-compulsory education was found to increase the probabilities of obtaining qualifications and of being employed at age 33. For both pre-compulsory education and pre-school per se, we found evidence of a marginally significant 3–4 per cent wage gain at age 33.