ERIC Number: ED571316
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 65
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Tulsa Universal Pre-K Program. Upjohn Institute Working Paper 16-261
Bartik, Timothy J.; Belford, Jonathan A.; Gormley, William T.; Anderson, Sara
W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
In this paper, benefits and costs are estimated for a universal pre-K program, provided by Tulsa Public Schools. Benefits are derived from estimated effects of Tulsa pre-K on retention by grade 9. Retention effects are projected to dollar benefits from future earnings increases and crime reductions. Based on these estimates, Tulsa pre-K has benefits that exceed costs by about 2-to-1. This benefit cost ratio is far less than the much higher benefit-cost ratios (ranging from 8-to-1 to 16-to-1) for more targeted and intensive pre-K programs, such as Perry Preschool and the Chicago Child-Parent Center (CPC) program. Comparing benefit-cost results from different studies suggests that our more modest estimates are due to two factors: 1) smaller percentage effects of pre-K on future earnings and crime in Tulsa than in Perry and CPC, and 2) smaller baseline crime rates in Tulsa than in the Perry and CPC comparison groups. Appended are: (1) More Details on the Estimated Effects of Tulsa Pre-K on Grade Retention; (2) More Details on the Estimated Effects of Grade Retention on Earnings and Crime; and (3) Sensitivity of Results to Alternative Assumptions and Estimates.
Descriptors: Cost Effectiveness, Preschool Education, Equal Education, Public Schools, Educational Benefits, Crime, Income, Comparative Analysis, Grade Repetition, Longitudinal Studies, National Surveys
W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. 300 South Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4686. Tel: 888-227-8569; Tel: 269-343-4330; Fax: 269-343-7310; Web site: http://www.upjohninstitute.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Identifiers - Location: Oklahoma (Tulsa); Illinois (Chicago); California
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A