An all-day Head Start program in Maryland recorded impressive results preparing its students for kindergarten – they scored better on reading and other tests than other students.  But, the report’s more interesting finding is the program cut down on special education services.

Students in Montgomery County’s all-day Head Start classrooms “required half as many special education services per week as their peers” who weren’t in the pre-k program, once both groups were in kindergarten, according to a release from the Montgomery Public Schools.  

This is the latest finding about how early learning can influence special education, which is expensive. (Pennsylvania Pre-K Programs Cut Special Ed Enrollment, Get Students Ready to Learn) It raises the idea that special education may sometimes be unnecessary if a student receives a top-quality early education, and that this connection is worth more research.

The latest report explains how this progress translates into real money.

“(The costs savings is significant, as the average annual cost for kindergarten students receiving special education services during the 2008-2009 school year was $16,230.)”

The study also found students in the all-day program were more likely to hit reading benchmarks than students in a half-day program.

“This positive effect on reading performance was particularly strong among African American students in the full-day program, who were 94 percent more likely to meet the reading benchmark than their MCPS (Montgomery County Public Schools) peers in the half-day pre-K programs. Students in full-day pre-K who received free and reduced- price meals (a measure of poverty) were 60 percent more likely to meet the benchmark than those in the half-day pre-K classes.”

You might recall the Montgomery County Schools as the district that was lauded for its work and success in early learning last year in the new book, “Leading for Equity.”

Thanks to The Hechinger Report, a brand new education news service that is packed with information and has a link to the EarlyStories blog post about the new report.  Check it out.