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The IERI Scale-Up Project


This new project is being conducted with colleagues from Vanderbilt University and the University of Arizona. We will implement a pre-kindergarten math intervention on a large scale across two types of public preschool programs serving low-income children (Head Start and statefunded preschools) in California and Tennessee. The Main Study is a randomized experiment evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention for enhancing children’s math knowledge and school achievement. The pre-K math intervention includes (1) a classroom component (small group math activities, math software, and a math learning center), (2) a home component (math activities and materials for families), and (3) a professional development package that includes a trainer-of-trainers model and distance education tools to implement the intervention with fidelity on a large scale and at a distance from the curriculum developer. The sample for the Main Study will include 960 children in 96 preschool classrooms at 60 sites in California and Tennessee.

A Psychometric Study also will be conducted in collaboration with University of Arizona faculty to establish the measurement properties of the Child Math Assessment, a research instrument we developed to assess children’s mathematical knowledge. Children will be followed into kindergarten and first grade, and longitudinal assessments of their mathematics achievement will be conducted.

A Sustainability Study of the math intervention will be conducted in the 48 pre-kindergarten intervention classrooms with 480 children. In the Main Study and Sustainability Study, a battery of instruments will be used to assess children’s developing mathematical cognition and their preschool and home learning environments. Extensive data will also be gathered in context to shed light on variables that moderate the effectiveness of the intervention.

This project is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences as part of the Interagency Education Research Initiative. Prentice Starkey is the principal investigator.

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