Pre-K Preferences: How and Why HISD Parents Choose Pre-K Programs (Part 3)

The aims of this study are to identify characteristics that drive pre-k enrollment, understand where parents receive their information about HISD pre-k options, and understand parental beliefs about which program characteristics are most important.

This study is the third in a series of briefs examining pre-k enrollment and access for students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD).

The aims of this study are to identify characteristics that drive enrollment, understand where parents receive their information about HISD pre-k options, and understand parental beliefs about which program characteristics are most important. Findings suggest distance from home is one of the primary drivers of pre-k parental choice for their children. Additionally, program characteristics are important, specifically whether programs have highly trained teachers and teacher aides. However, variation in parental beliefs exist by language of survey participation and campus-level proportions of English-language learners (EL) or economically disadvantaged students. Parents report learning about HISD pre-k programs through family and friends.

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Students learning
Availability of and Equity in Access to HISD Pre-K Programs (Part 1)
Aug. 21, 2019

This study attempts to identify the spatial distribution of HISD pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs across the district and better understand how program location may be associated with access and equity issues.

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Strategies for Increasing Access to HISD Pre-K Programs (Part 2)
Feb. 17, 2020

This is the second in a series of briefs examining student access to Houston ISD pre-kindergarten programs. The study finds that among 2018-19 kindergarteners in HISD who did not attend HISD pre-k, about two-thirds of students likely qualified for enrollment.

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Pre-K Choice and School Readiness in HISD (Part 4)
Aug. 2, 2022

This brief serves as the fourth, and final, study in a series examining pre-K access for students in HISD.

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Prekindergarten

Research has long linked early childhood education to later academic success and suggested it may be a critical part of closing the persistent academic disparities between student groups.

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The Equity Project

This comprehensive study of educational equity throughout Houston ISD focuses on understanding whether historically marginalized student populations in the district have the resources they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond.

EDUCATION | URBAN DISPARITY
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