Date of Award

Winter 12-11-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in School Leadership

Department

Teaching & Educational Leadership

College

College of Education

Committee Chair

Dr. Steve Bounds

Second Committee Member

Dr. John Freeman

Third Committee Member

Dr. Charity Smith

Program Director

Dr. John Freeman

Dean of Graduate College

Dr. Jeffrey Cass

Abstract

This study was conducted in a central Arkansas school district to see if going to the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Early Intervention Program located in that central Arkansas school district made a difference in how well kids did on their kindergarten reading test (NWEA MAP Growth). This was a quantitative, causal-comparative study, meaning the researcher looked at archived test scores from kindergarteners in Fall 2021 where some of the participants attended ABC Pre-K, and some did not.

The main goal of the study was to answer this research question: Is there a significant difference in kindergarten readiness literacy scores between students who attended the ABC program and those who did not?

The researcher looked at all the kindergarten students together and found that the answer was no. Statistically, there was no meaningful difference in the average reading scores between the kids who attended the ABC Pre-K in that central Arkansas school district and those who did not. This finding went against much of the research that usually supports the benefits of pre-K.

However, as the researcher dug deeper and looked at specific groups (breaking the data down by gender and ethnicity), the researcher made a key discovery: Hispanic female students who attended the ABC program scored significantly higher on the readiness assessment. This indicates the program was highly effective for this particular group.

In conclusion, while the ABC program in this central Arkansas school district did not show a widespread, overall predictive effect on literacy readiness in this district, its strong positive impact on Hispanic females suggests a need to figure out what worked for them and apply it to the rest of the student population. The researcher recommends that future researchers should expand this study to other districts, use different assessments, and look into the actual quality of the program's implementation.

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