Vanderbilt University’s new Peabody Research Institute and the Tennessee Department of Education today announced a partnership to conduct the first statewide evaluation of the effectiveness of Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K Program.
“Tennessee has always been a leader in providing early education for children and I continue to be committed to our pre-k program,” Gov. Phil Bredesen said. “I am excited that we can now take a long-range look at the program and hopefully be a model for the nation.”
The five-year, $6 million statewide scientific study is being funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and is being conducted as a collaborative project by TDOE and PRI.
The study will examine the effectiveness of Tennessee’s pre-k program for enhancing children’s readiness for kindergarten and improving their achievement in later grades. The goal is to gather data in order to make informed decisions concerning the program and to identify areas of improvement to increase its overall quality.
“We are very pleased to collaborate with the state of Tennessee and its Office of Early Learning on a project of this magnitude. It has the potential to strengthen education policies and practices for Tennessee’s earliest learners and for pre-kindergarten students across the nation,” Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College, said.
Pre-k classes from across the state will participate in the study on a voluntary basis. The first phase of the study will begin in May. There is no cost to the local education agencies or parents involved in the process.
The Peabody Research Institute focuses on educational programs and other interventions aimed at increasing the well-being of children and their families. It is directed by Mark Lipsey, research professor of human and organizational development, with partners Dale Farran, professor of psychology and education, and Sandra Wilson, senior research associate.
“The new Peabody Research Institute will deepen the college’s impact on the well-being of children and families, one of our longstanding commitments,” Benbow said. “PRI offers yet more evidence that Peabody is the place to turn to for knowledge based on scientifically rigorous research.”
PRI provides opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral students to participate in significant research projects that enhance their experience, skills and professional visibility.
“There’s a great need for rigorous research aimed at developing and testing programs and policies for improving the well-being of children and families,” Lipsey said.
PRI addresses research on all aspects of relevant practices, including programs or policies and their effectiveness, implementation, costs, dissemination, and social and political support. PRI also provides training, consultation and evaluation to support the efforts of practitioners, program personnel and policy makers to improve services, programs and policies for children and families.
For more information about PRI, visit http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/Peabody_Research_Institute.xml
For more news about Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development, visit http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu.
Jennie Edwards, jennie.e.edwards@vanderbilt.edu, prepared this report.
Media contact: Melanie Moran, (615) 322-NEWS
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu