TitleThe Effects of a Structured Curriculum on Preschool Effectiveness: A Field Experiment
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsRege, M, Størksen, I, Solli, IF, Kalil, A, McClelland, MM, Braak, Dten, Lenes, R, Lunde, S, Breive, S, Carlsen, M, Erfjord, I, Hundeland, PSigurd
JournalJournal of Human Resources
Pagination0220-10749R3
Date Published12/2021
ISSN0022-166X
Abstract

This study tests an intervention that introduces a structured curriculum for five-year-olds into the universal preschool context of Norway, where the business as usual is an unstructured curriculum. We conduct a field experiment with 691 five-year-olds in 71 preschools and measure treatment impacts on children’s development in mathematics, language, and executive functioning. The nine-month intervention has effects on child development at post-intervention and the effects persist one year following the end of the treatment. The effects are mainly driven by the preschools identified as low-quality at baseline, indicating that a structured curriculum can reduce inequality in early childhood learning environments.

DOI10.3368/jhr.0220-10749R3
Short TitleJ. Human Resources