Early Returns: First Year Report of the Michigan School-Readiness Program Evaluation

Since its inception in 1985, the effectiveness and quality of the Michigan School Readiness Program (MSRP), the state's early childhood education program for 4-year-olds at risk of school failure, have never been evaluated. This report details the first evaluation findings for 1995-97. The program is comprised of a child development program for children providing age-appropriate activities to promote intellectual and social growth and family support, guidance, and referrals to community agencies as needed. The evaluation design contained two portions: an extensive evaluation in which data from the entire state were collected, and an intensive evaluation measuring program effects more thoroughly using a representative subset of programs and children. The major findings of the evaluation indicate that the program is providing children with abilities and positive attitudes that lead to later educational and economic success and social responsibility. Forty-nine percent of the program's classrooms were judged to be of high quality and 51 percent of medium quality, with none of low quality. Children who had attended the MSRP were rated by their kindergarten teachers as being more advanced than children who had not attended preschool. The report concludes with recommendations for the state legislature regarding funding and program monitoring, for the Michigan Department of Education regarding program administration and supervision and training for instructional staff, and for the MSRP grantees regarding parent participation and recruitment. Four appendices provide additional evaluation findings and intensive evaluation site findings; present program quality reliability assessment analyses; and contain assessment instrument forms. (Contains 38 references.) (KB)