Date of Award

7-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Roger Mitch Nasser Jr.

Second Advisor

Jackie Ramey

Third Advisor

Jayley Janssen

Abstract

Despite the national push for increased Pre-K enrollment, findings on the effects of attending Pre-K are contradictory and inconsistent. Due to conflicting research and viewpoints on traditional education outcomes, many families are choosing not to send their children to Pre-K. This study focused on the often overlooked thoughts and experiences of Black parents and guardians when making decisions about early childhood education for their children, as well as the academic and behavioral effects of attending Pre-K for Black children in subsequent years. Through surveys and interviews, this study explored factors that influence Black parents’ decisions about enrolling their children in Pre-K. Themes that arose were that parents chose Pre-K because it can provide an educational head start for children and encourage them to be more social with same-aged peers, as well as adults they were not familiar with. Black parents also seek safe, high-quality educational programs with trained, supportive caregivers. In addition to the qualitative findings, behavioral frequency data and math and reading standardized test scores were collected throughout the 2022-2023 school year for Black students in kindergarten, first, and second grades. Inferential statistics showed no significant relationships between attending Pre-K and the academic or behavioral success of Black students, with the exception of second-grade reading. The researcher found that there was sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis and there was a difference between the academic success of Black second-grade students on a standardized iReady reading assessment, based on whether or not they went to Pre-K. The researcher aimed to help make early childhood care options more transparent, accessible, and representative of all families to close the educational gap, based on SES and race.

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