Disproportionality & PreschoolUniversality & Fairness

The 16th Annual Early Childhood Iowa Congress

Des Moines, Iowa

February 11, 2009

Walter S. Gilliam, PhD

The Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social PolicyChild Study Center

Yale University School of Medicine

Grave Variability in Quality

• Variability between states

• Variability between programs

• Variability between classrooms

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Teacher Credentials Vary by State

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

MA BA

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“Expulsion” from Preschool?

• The Expulsion Question

– Over past 12 months

– Required terminating participation in program

– Behavioral problem

– No transition to more appropriate setting

An Extreme ExampleWhen Everything that Could Go Wrong Did

• The Arrest of a Kindergartener

– In the classroom

– In the office

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PreK Expulsion Results: Nation

• 10.4% of PreK teachers expelled at least 1 child in past year due to behavior problems

• 1 child (78%); 2 children (15%);

3 children (6%); 4 children (1%)

• PreK Expulsion Rate = 6.7 / 1,000• K-12 Expulsion Rate = 2.1 / 1,000

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Expulsion Rates (per 1,000)

Gilliam, WS & Shahar, G (2006). Preschool and child care expulsion and suspension: Rates and predictors in one state. Infants and Young Children, 19, 228-245. Gilliam, WS (2005). Prekindergarteners left behind: Expulsion Rates in state prekindergarten programs. FCD Policy Brief, Series No. 3. Available: www.fcd-us.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=464280

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TV Play on All Major Stations

ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET

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Who Gets Expelled?

• 4-year-olds 50% more likely than 3’s

• Boys 3½ times more likely than girls

• African Americans 2 times rate of European Americans; 5 times rate of Asian Americans

Do Classes Differ by Student Ethnicity?

• Research on SES and Process Quality

• Preliminary Results of NPS

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Rates of Preschool Retention

• National Rate = 5.0% (± 0.2%)• Highest:

– Nebraska = 14.8%– Virginia = 13.5%– North Carolina = 10.1%

• Lowest:– Louisiana = 0.2%– Oregon = 0.2%– Delaware = 1.0%

• CT = 8.3% (7th of 40 States)• 14.8% of classrooms (2.0% - 10.5%)

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Logistic Regression Analysis χ2 χ2 B4 OR4

Block 1 3.96 3.96

Public School .00 1.00 Head Start .25 1.28Block 2 22.84 18.88 ***

Student-Teacher Ratio -.12* 0.89 Hrs/Day -.01 0.99 Teacher Education .02 1.02Block 3 57.83 34.99 ***

ESL % -.04 0.96 IEP % .12* 1.12Block 4 134.39 76.56 ***

Black % -.50*** 0.61 Latino % -.32** 0.73 Other % -.17** 0.85

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General Discussion

Is there Inequitable Distribution of Quality?

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Walter S. Gilliam, PhDDirector,The Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social PolicyChild Study CenterYale University School of Medicine230 South Frontage RoadPO Box 207900New Haven, CT 06520-7900

Phone: 203-785-3384Email: walter.gilliam@yale.edu

ziglercenter.yale.edu