Knowledgebase

Description:The Perry Preschool Project is a frequently cited longitudinal study regarding the effects of preschool on life outcomes. The study has been gathering data on its subjects since it began in the early 1960s. Areas ranging from early childhood social and cognitive skill development, to high school graduation rates, to arrest rates, welfare dependency rates, and income levels have been tracked throughout the study. As a result, in addition to the study’s own interpretation and research of its data, other researchers and studies have been conducted using the Perry data. While there is some dispute over the degree of reliability of the study, its results are generally agreed to be sound indicators of the long term effects of preschool on life outcomes. Preschool’s positive effect on an individual’s likelihood to commit crime and be arrested in their lifetime is among one of major lessons the Perry Preschool study has taught the social science field.

Click on the link above to learn more about the High/Scope Perry Preschool project and other subsequent research which has contributed to the understanding of the long term effects of preschool.