Research: Study finds targeted pre-K programs more segregated than universal pre-K programs
Students enrolled in targeted prekindergarten (pre-K) programs for low-income families may experience more racial isolation than students who attend universal pre-K, according to a study out of the University of Georgia.
“Means-tested programs are trying to get resources to the people who have the greatest needs, but when they limit interactions across income levels, they can have serious tradeoffs,” said Walker Swain, an associate professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy.
Swain, along with doctoral student Shuyang Wang (Ph.D. ’24) and doctoral graduate Joseph-Emery Kouaho (Ph.D. ’23), collaborated with the Urban Institute to compare the segregation of pre-K students to the segregation of first-grade students in the same states.
Their results indicate that students in universal pre-K programs tend to be less systematically isolated from their peers by race and socioeconomic status.