TY - JOUR
T1 - Promoting EF With Preschool Interventions
T2 - Lessons Learned From 15 Years of Conducting Large-Scale Studies
AU - Mattera, Shira
AU - Rojas, Natalia M.
AU - Morris, Pamela A.
AU - Bierman, Karen
N1 - Funding Information:
The Making Pre-K Count study was made possible by a partnership between Robin Hood, one of the country’s leading antipoverty organizations based in New York City, and MDRC. Additional funding was provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Overdeck Family Foundation, and the Richard
Funding Information:
Funding. The Making Pre-K Count study was made possible by a partnership between Robin Hood, one of the country's leading antipoverty organizations based in New York City, and MDRC. Additional funding was provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Overdeck Family Foundation, and the Richard W. Goldman Family Foundation. The Head Start CARES study was conducted by MDRC and sponsored by the Office of Head Start and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Foundations of Learning study was conducted by MDRC and funded by the George Gund Foundation, the Grable Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the McCormick Foundation, the Nicholson Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Head Start REDI was supported by Grant No. R01HD046064 from the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Mattera, Rojas, Morris and Bierman.
PY - 2021/6/24
Y1 - 2021/6/24
N2 - In the past two decades, a growing number of early childhood interventions that aim to improve school readiness have also targeted children's executive function (EF), building on the theory that promoting EF skills in preschool may play a key role in reducing the substantial gaps in school readiness and later achievement associated with family income. Despite the expansion of school readiness interventions across preschool, research evidence is mixed regarding what works to promote EF development and the impact of these interventions on children's EF skills, and subsequently, their academic and behavioral outcomes. This paper reviews four intervention approaches designed to support school readiness that may also improve children's EF skills by: (a) encouraging adaptive classroom behaviors, (b) improving social-emotional learning, (c) promoting play and direct training of EF skills, and (d) improving cognitive skills related to EF. We describe program effects from rigorous trials testing these approaches, including summarizing the takeaways from four large-scale intervention research studies conducted by the authors, involving over 5,000 children. We conclude by exploring open questions for the field and future directions for research and intervention program development and refinement.
AB - In the past two decades, a growing number of early childhood interventions that aim to improve school readiness have also targeted children's executive function (EF), building on the theory that promoting EF skills in preschool may play a key role in reducing the substantial gaps in school readiness and later achievement associated with family income. Despite the expansion of school readiness interventions across preschool, research evidence is mixed regarding what works to promote EF development and the impact of these interventions on children's EF skills, and subsequently, their academic and behavioral outcomes. This paper reviews four intervention approaches designed to support school readiness that may also improve children's EF skills by: (a) encouraging adaptive classroom behaviors, (b) improving social-emotional learning, (c) promoting play and direct training of EF skills, and (d) improving cognitive skills related to EF. We describe program effects from rigorous trials testing these approaches, including summarizing the takeaways from four large-scale intervention research studies conducted by the authors, involving over 5,000 children. We conclude by exploring open questions for the field and future directions for research and intervention program development and refinement.
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U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640702
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640702
M3 - Review article
C2 - 34248742
AN - SCOPUS:85109751897
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 640702
ER -