Q&A with Beth Tarasawa about New Kindergarten Transition Study

In
July, I published a report that emphasizes the
importance of the transition between pre-K and kindergarten and explores state
strategies to ease the transition between the two grades. One of the report’s key takeaways is that school,
districts, and states must all be engaged in making the transition to
kindergarten less bumpy for children and families.

Some
school districts are trying to meet the transition needs of children and their
families who lack access to pre-K by offering free summer programs. A new study on the Early Kindergarten Transition Program in Multnomah County,
Oregon sheds light on potential long-term benefits of these programs.
(Multnomah County is home to Portland.)

To
learn more about the study and its implications, I interviewed Beth Tarasawa, the study’s lead
researcher and the Manager for Education Research Partnerships at NWEA.

The study looks at Multnomah County’s Early Kindergarten
Transition (EKT) program. What are the key components and goals of that
program?

The
EKT program is a free, targeted three-week summer program for incoming
kindergarten students and their parents or guardians at Title I schools. The
program brings early childhood and school partners together to promote
successful kindergarten transition, with the goals of increasing parental
involvement, reducing chronic absenteeism, and enhancing the development of
early literacy skills – all indicators of long-term academic success. Portland
Public Schools (PPS) first piloted the EKT program in two elementary schools in
2010. Schools and districts replicated the model, and there are now 41 schools
countywide who offer EKT.

The EKT program aims to help students become more comfortable as
they transition to kindergarten, but parents are a target of the program too.
Could you tell us a little about how the program aims to help parents become
participants in their children’s learning?

I
think one of the unique features of this program is how it seeks to empower
parents as partners. We know that research shows the lack of traditional
parental involvement in schools, such as parent-teacher conference attendance
or PTA participation, often does not indicate a lack of care. Rather, it is a
product of various structural and cultural barriers (see
Annette
Lareau’s work for more background). Understanding the challenges (e.g.,
family obligations, lack of transportation, immigration status fears, the
disconnect between home and school cultures) that immigrant, refugee, and other
underserved families face is crucial to fostering parent engagement and
supporting students’ academic success.

The
EKT program aims to make parents’ first experience with their child’s school a
positive one. EKT parent participants hear about how school works; connect with
teachers, the principal, and other parents; and learn how to extend their
child’s learning at home. Topics covered in these classes include the
importance of attendance, how to read interactively with their children, and
strategies for promoting math concepts and skills at home. Community
organizations also participate by providing resources and training for parents.
For example, Multnomah County Library provides education about literacy and
ensures each family has a library card. It is also worth noting that
translators, free meals, and child care are provided.

This
program is about getting families connected to school, equipping them with
resources that more socio-economically advantaged families often take for
granted, and empowering parents or guardians to be active participants in their
kids’ education.

It can be difficult to reach students that might have the most
trouble transitioning to kindergarten. What is the process like in Multnomah
County for identifying these kids and convincing their parents to allow them to
attend EKT?

Very
true – reaching students most vulnerable to difficulties transitioning to
kindergarten is challenging. PPS prioritizes children who have not had a
structured preschool experience, have a primary language other than English,
and/or have struggled with attendance or behavior while enrolled in Head Start.
While this was not detailed in the formal study, the relationship building that
the district is doing to connect to those families historically most
marginalized is particularly noteworthy. For example, Program Manager Nancy
Hauth works with local Head Starts, but also through organizations like
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Latino Network, Self Enhancement
Inc., and Native American Youth and Family Center for targeted recruitment.
These established, culturally-specific organizations bring credibility to the
district. I would argue, one of the most telling success stories is that many
current and former EKT families invite other parents to get involved and share
what they have learned through the program. This has been one of PPS’s most
effective outreach methods.

What are the major findings of the new study about EKT?

Our study examined the demographics, attendance, and dynamic
indicators of basic early literacy skills (DIBELS) scores of EKT students
compared with those of students who attended EKT schools but did not
participate in the EKT program. The total number of student participants in the
program for this analysis was 459.

Prior
research finds that academic indicators can predict long-term educational
outcomes, such as high school graduation. For example, a student who cannot
read at grade level by the third grade is four times less likely to graduate
than a child who reads proficiently and at grade level by that time. Another
primary goal of the EKT program is to reduce chronic absenteeism in
kindergarten and beyond. Nationally, 1 in 10 kindergarten students
are chronically absent. Research shows that students who are chronically absent
are more likely to suffer academically, and this can be an early warning
predictor of dropping out of high school.

Our
findings suggest that the EKT students tend to outperform the non-EKT students,
indicated by the higher proportion of EKT students who met early literacy
benchmarks. Additionally, a smaller proportion of EKT students were identified
as requiring intensive support based on the students’ early literacy skills.
The study also found that the attendance rates of the EKT students were higher
than those in the comparison group of students who did not participate in EKT
in every cohort. These trends continued over time, where student attendance
rates remained higher for EKT participants than for non-EKT students in EKT
schools through third grade.

What are the limitations of the study that readers should keep in
mind?

Experimental
designs with random assignment of subjects to treatment and control groups to
investigate causal effects are viewed as the gold standard in treatment outcome
research, however random assignment is often impractical or too expensive in
educational settings. This study is best described as a retrospective program
evaluation based on cohort comparison groups. With that methodology comes some
limitations. First, EKT students and their families self-selected to
participate in the program. Thus, the evaluation design cannot dismiss the very
real possibility of selection effects. In other words, the students who
participated in EKT may have been inherently different from the students who
did not participate in EKT. For example, the students who attended EKT may have
had higher attendance rates in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade
regardless of participation in the EKT program. Without random assignment of
students either to participate or not to participate in EKT, causal statements
cannot be made. Additionally, it is difficult to form true comparison student
groups. As students leave and enter the schools, the same students are not
necessarily being compared from year to year in comparison groups. Intact
groups were created and compared to attempt to address this issue; however, the
demographics still may not be precisely comparable, and the sample sizes were
quite small. The limitations notwithstanding, encouraging trends emerged over
time for the EKT program participants.

Are there plans to continue studying the effects of this program
or similar programs?

The
Multnomah County Partnership for Education Research (MCPER) has committed to
replicating the study over the next several years. The partnership, developed
by the University of Portland School of Education and NWEA, provides real-time research and program evaluation
services to local school districts, maintains long-term research support, and
builds capacity for sustained research by the preparation of doctoral
candidates working within these districts.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about the study or
the transition to kindergarten generally?

There
are probably three additional takeaways I’d offer. First, we know many public
school districts have hopes of rolling out pre-K programs, and these can be
expensive. In the interim, summer bridge programs such as EKT, could have
impact with relatively low cost. Second, the approach that MCPER takes –
researching at the direction of the school districts – helps districts make
informed decisions about resource allocation and remain accountable to their
communities. PPS presented findings from the study to the local school board in
efforts to secure more funding for continued programming and expansion – which
was approved. Finally, I think the focus on early learning where education
institutions, human services, and the private sector are collaborating to help
ensure students arrive to school ready to succeed is inspiring. As Ruby Takanishi writes in her recent book, eliminating
educational inequalities is the “civil and human rights challenge of our time.”
It will be exciting to see how the momentum of universal preschool initiatives
and the national focus on early learning could reduce persistent opportunity
gaps across the nation.