1	Preschool Education, Educational Attainment, and Crime Prevention: Contributions of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills Judy A. Temple, Arthur J. Reynolds, and Suh-Ruu Ou University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
2	General research question: How can preschool have long-lasting effects? Earliest explanation….. Preschool provides a cognitive advantage, leading to higher test scores at school entry and reductions in the need for school remedial services. A puzzle in some studies is why preschool participants ultimately have higher high school completion rates and lower involvement in criminal activity when there appears to be a “fade out” of the effects of preschool on test scores.
3	More recent explanations… Heckman (2000) and Heckman and Masterov (2004) argue that the long-term outcomes of the Perry Preschool program are due to the effect of the program on noncognitive skills. Heckman, Stixrud, and Urzua (2006) investigate the effect of cognitive and noncognitive skills on adult earnings and other outcomes using the NLSY. They find that both types of abilities are important. They suggest noncognitive skills in particular are alterable by early educational interventions.
4	Cognitive and non-cognitive measures in the Chicago study Our cognitive measures: Kindergarten readiness Test scores at end of K for word analysis and math Test scores at end of 6th grade in reading and math Test scores at end of 8th grade in reading and math Any grade retention as of age 14 Any special education placement for learning disability Our noncognitive measures (at various ages) Teacher ratings of classroom adjustment at various ages Perceived competence (student ratings) Intrinsic motivation to learn Troublemaking behavior Acting out behavior Assertive social skills Peer social skills Task orientation Student expects to go to college School commitment Any official juvenile delinquency Parent participation
5	Our objective: Using the Chicago Longitudinal Study, which contains a large set of cognitive and noncognitive measures, we try to understand the mechanisms through which participation in preschool leads to longer term effects. We demonstrate that preschool participation affects a large number of cognitive and noncognitive abilities. We then investigate the relative importance of these abilities in understanding the effects of preschool on educational attainment and crime and incarceration.
6	Specifically, we conduct two analyses. First, we estimate the effect of participation in preschool on a large number of cognitive and noncognitive measures. Then, we enter cognitive and non-cognitive measures into a regression of preschool participation on various outcomes. We examine how the estimated effect of preschool changes before and after the cognitive/non-cognitive measures are included.
7	Age 24 Outcomes in the Chicago Longitudinal Study (P denotes preschool group, C denotes control group) High school completion 74% N = 1,372 Adjusted rates, P vs C 76% vs 67.3% Highest grade completed 11.9 N = 1,368 Adjusted means, P vs C 11.98 vs 11.65 Incarceration 23%, N = 1,413 Adjusted rates, P vs C 20.6% vs 25.6%
8	Top 3 Contributors to CPC Effects on High School Completion Marg. effect Main effect, CPC preschool .087 Age 14 math achievement .048 Age 12 math achievement .050 Age 14 reading achievement .052 School commitment .060 Juvenile arrest .067 Peer social skills .070
9	Top 3 Contributors to CPC Effects on Incarceration Marg. effect Main effect, CPC preschool -.050 Age 14 reading achievement -.032 Age 14 math achievement -.036 Age 14 reading achievement -.040 Juvenile arrest -.021 School commitment -.030 Peer social skills -.034
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11	CONCLUSIONS: Participation in high-quality preschool affects many measures of cognitive and noncognitive skills observed throughout elementary and secondary schooling. The effect of preschool participation on educational attainment and crime is due in part to both cognitive and noncognitive factors. Cognitive skills are more closely correlated with educational attainment outcomes, while noncognitive skills explain relatively more of the preschool effect on incarceration. Policy implications: Early intervention can enhance the formation of both cognitive and noncognitive skills, leading to higher educational attainment and reduced crime.
12	For more information about the Chicago Longitudinal Study, contact: Arthur Reynolds, Institute of Child Development (ajr@umn.edu) Judy Temple, Humphrey Institute and Dept. of Applied Economics (jtemple@umn.edu) Suh-Ruu Ou, Institute of Child Development (sou@umn.edu) Funding support provided by: NICHD Foundation for Child Development Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Web Sites: www.education.umn.edu/icd/reynoldslab/ www.waisman.wisc.edu/cls/