Effects of Public Preschool Expenditures on the Test Scores of 4th Graders

This study examines the effects of public preschool expenditures on the math and science scores of 4th graders, holding constant child, family, and school characteristics, other relevant social expenditures, and country and year effects, in seven Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries - Australia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, U.K., and U.S - using data from the 1995 and 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). This study also explores whether preschool expenditures matter more for children who may be at risk of poor school achievement, as indexed by having low levels of resources in the home or coming from an immigrant family or a family that does not always speak the test language.