The Effects of New Jersey’s Abbott Preschool Program on Young Children’s School Readiness. Cynthia Lamy, W. Steven Barnett, & Kwanghee Jung. National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). (2005). Study by NIEER of the effects of attending the Abbott pre-k program at age 4 for 2,072 entering kindergarteners in 21 Abbott school districts. Using an innovative research model, regression-discontinuity design, the study found marked improvement in the early language, literacy, and math skills for children who participated in the Abbott pre-k program. The study’s authors note that results may in fact be an estimate of two years of pre-k, since most children start the Abbott program at age 3, and that a measure of the effects of two years could be larger. NIEER plans to address in subsequent reports the impact of two years of preschool in the Abbott program

Giant Steps for the Littlest Children: Progress in the Sixth Year of the Abbott Preschool Program. Cynthia Esposito Lamy, Ellen Frede, et al. Early Learning Improvement Consortium. (2005). Report on the Abbott preschool program shows significant gains in classroom quality from 1999-2000, the first year of program implementation, to 2004-2005, as measured on a seven point rating scale (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale/Revised-ECERS-R). The percentage of classrooms scoring in the inadequate to minimal range dropped from over 17% in 2003 to 2.5% in 2005, while the percentage of classrooms scoring in the good to excellent range increased from 13% in 2003 to nearly 40% in 2005. In 2003, over 50% of the classrooms scored below the midpoint on the rating scale; in 2005, 85% of the classrooms scored above the midpoint. The study also found marked progress in the extent to which classroom materials, activities and interactions support children's early literacy development and significant improvement in language and literacy skills for entering kindergarteners.

Using Pressure and Support to Create a Qualified Workforce. Sharon Ryan and Debra J. Ackerman, Rutgers University. Education Policy Analysis Archives. 13(23). (March 2005). Paper reports on a study that examines the system of pressure and support created to encourage preschool teachers in public school, community child care and Head Start programs to obtain a teacher credential by a court imposed deadline. The study found that the court mandate, combined with state-supported teacher scholarships and widely available certification programs, motivated many preschool teachers to improve their qualifications. The authors also note that the system may have caused many teachers to move out of preschool to higher status jobs once they achieved the credential, and caution policymakers to consider a system of pressure and support to achieve long-term workforce goals as well.

End of the Year Report: 2003 – 2004. New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood Education. (2004). Report finds that during the 2003–2004 school year, the 30 Abbott districts enrolled 38,000 three- and four-year-old children in preschool out of a possible universe of 53,000 children, at a cost of approximately $407 million. Thirty-two percent were served in school-based programs, 8% in federally funded Head Start centers, and 60% in private child-care centers.

A Rising Tide: Classroom Quality and Language Skills in the Abbott Preschool Program. Cynthia Esposito Lamy, Ellen Frede, et al. Early Learning Improvement Consortium. (2004). Report on Abbott preschool program analyzes the quality of teaching and achievement of students and finds significant improvement in recent years. For example, the majority of classroom scores on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) are improving, with 24% scoring “good” or “excellent” in 2003-2004, as compared to only 13% in 2002-2003. Additionally children’s language scores have steadily increased since implementation of the program in 1999-2000, when the the average receptive language score was 84.5, to 2003-2004, when the average score was 89.6.

Planning for Quality: Ensuring Educational Adequacy for All Abbott Preschool Facilities. Cynthia Rice (Association for Children of New Jersey) & Joan Ponnessa (Education Law Center). (2004). Report analyzes NJ Department of Education data and finds that sixty-six percent of community preschool programs operate in leased facilities. Under current state regulations, programs operating in leased facilities are ineligible for state school construction funds. About seventy percent of all Abbott preschool children attend a community preschool program, so the exclusion of these programs from school facilities funding raises serious policy and legal considerations. The report urges the NJ Department of Education to direct Abbott school districts to undertake a comprehensive assessment of all community provider facilities and to develop a plan for housing all preschoolers in adequate facilities. The report also recommends that the state form an advisory council to explore additional funding options for community preschools to upgrade their facilities.

Inch by Inch, Row by Row, Gonna Make this Garden Grow: Classroom Quality and Language Skills in the Abbott Preschool Program. Cynthia Esposito Lamy, Ellen Frede, et al. Early Learning Improvement Consortium. (March 2004). Report by the NJ Department of Education and researchers from New Jersey universities on the quality of preschool classrooms in the Abbott districts and the language skills of students in the Abbott districts upon entry to kindergarten. Report finds that by the fourth year of Abbott preschool implementation (2002-2003), program quality has improved significantly, particularly in the area of early language and literacy, and children are entering kindergarten with significantly better oral language and reading readiness abilities than they had four years ago.

New Jersey Department of Education Proposed Facilities Regulations: Analysis of Preschool Issues. Joan Ponessa & Ellen Boylan. Education Law Center. (2004). Report analyzes NJ Department of Education regulations on preschool facilities and concludes regulations will not ensure all children currently enrolled in the court-mandated Abbott preschool program are in safe and adequate facilities. Analysis also finds regulations fail to address the need to quickly build new classrooms to house the thousands of children not yet enrolled the program.

The Abbott Preschool Program: Fifth Year Report on Enrollment and Budget. Erain Applewhite & Lesley Hirsch. Education Law Center. (2003). Report analyzes state preschool enrollment and budget data to assess state’s compliance with the New Jersey Supreme Court’s mandate for universal preschool in the state’s low-income, urban communities. Report finds a shrinking, but still substantial number (34%) of three- and four-year-olds were not being served in the program and that the majority of Abbott preschool children with disabilities are in segregated, self-contained programs.

Getting Qualified: A Report on the Efforts of Preschool Teachers in New Jersey’s Abbott Districts to Improve their Qualifications. Sharon Ryan and Debra J. Ackerman. National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). (2004). Report documents New Jersey’s effort to create a qualified preschool workforce to comply with the New Jersey Supreme Court’s directive for the state to implement a high-quality preschool program for all 3- and 4- year olds in the state’s high poverty school districts.

The 2004 Deadline: Support for Extension of Time for Abbott Teachers. Early Care and Education Coalition Position Statement. (2003). New Jersey’s Early Care and Education Coalition position statement supporting extension of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s order in Abbott VI that all teachers in Abbott preschools obtain a bachelors’ degree and early childhood certification by September 2004. The position statement details problems faced by teachers working to achieve the required educational level and recommends the state adopt a long-term professional development plan that addresses both obstacles to certification and teacher attrition.