There are many changes that need to be made to help close the achievement gap, but what is the most important? Some will argue that the problem is teacher quality, parent involvement or the reading skills\u00a0that students from low income families lose when they leave school for summer vacation. Although those problems may be true, universal\u00a0preschool learning is the biggest adjustment that needs to be made to help\u00a0close this gap.<\/p>\n
According to Dartmouth economist Elizabeth Cascio<\/a>, universal preschool is most likely to help low income children if their classmates come from a range of family incomes. The study by Cascio finds that universal programs have a significant positive effect on the reading scores of lower income children, while targeted programs do not. The effect on math scores is also positive but not statistically significant. Even though this system will be much more expensive because it serves more children, Cascio\u00a0states that universal preschool is the most cost-effective because lower income students did that much better. Most middle class American families whom\u00a0decide to send their children to preschool usually select some form of private preschool. The program is mutually\u00a0beneficial\u00a0for both middle class\u00a0families and lower income families because middle class parents will\u00a0no longer need to pay for expensive private preschool and their children will be\u00a0helping\u00a0their lower income peers improve\u00a0at the same time.<\/p>\n
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