Maria Donovan Fitzpatrick

Starting School at Four: The Effect of Universal Pre-Kindergarten on Children's Academic Achievement

Abstract Universal Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs differ from widely known and extensively evaluated programs like Head Start and Perry Preschool because access is open to all children of the appropriate age. To estimate the intent-to-treat effects of these programs on the long term educational achievement of children, I use a differences-in-differences framework and individual-level data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. For disadvantaged children residing in small towns and rural areas, Universal Pre-K availability increases both reading and mathematics test scores at fourth grade as well as the probability of students being on-grade for their age. Increases in some measures of achievement also were seen among other groups, though the patterns were less uniform across outcome measures. The results correspond with other work showing children living in less densely populated areas are those most likely to enroll in preschool because of the programs availability.

Preschoolers Enrolled and Mothers at Work? The Effects of Universal Pre-Kindergarten

Three states recently introduced universal prekindergarten programs offering free preschool to all age‐eligible children; policy makers in many other states are promoting similar programs. Using restricted‐access data from the Census, together with birthday‐based eligibility cutoffs, I employ a regression discontinuity framework to estimate the effects of universal pre‐K availability on overall preschool enrollment and maternal labor supply. Universal pre‐K availability increases statewide preschool enrollment by about 14% but has little effect on the labor supply of most women.

Revising Our Thinking About the Relationship Between Maternal Labor Supply and Preschool

Many argue that childcare costs limit the labor supply of mothers, though existing evidence has been mixed. Using a childs eligibility for public kindergarten in a regression discontinuity instrumental variables framework, I estimate how use of a particular subsidy, public school, affects maternal labor supply. I find public school enrollment increases only the employment of single mothers without additional young children. I compare this result to previous work, focusing on striking increases in a similar setting but earlier period (Gelabch 2002). Differences in the population of mothers, labor supply, and patterns of lifecycle events likely drive the discrepancy in results.

The Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce from 1990 through 2010: Changing Dynamics and Persistent Concerns.

Historically, the early childhood care and education (ECCE) workforce has been characterized as a low-education, low-compensation, low-stability workforce. In recent years, considerable investments have been made to correct this, but we lack evidence about the extent to which these investments were accompanied by changes in the characteristics of the workforce. Using nationally representative data, we find that the historical characterization of the ECCE workforce continues to apply. However, we also find that the average educational attainment, compensation, and stability of ECCE workers increased substantially from 1990 to 2010. Surprisingly, the shift in the composition of the ECCE workforce toward more regulated settings and away from home-based settings is not the primary driver of these changes. Contrary to our expectations, gains within the home-based workforce are the primary drivers, though the education and wages of home-based workers remain substantially lower than among formal-care workers.

Post-baccalaureate migration and merit-based scholarships

For policymakers aiming to alter the migratory patterns of skilled labor, one potential tool involves subsidizing higher education. We present new evidence on the effects of merit aid scholarship programs - programs that offer partial or full tuition subsidies to high-achieving in-state students. Using Census data on 24 to 32 year olds in the U.S. from 1990 to 2010, we show that eligibility for merit aid programs slightly increases the propensity of state natives to live in-state, while also extending in-state enrollment into the late twenties. However, the share of a cohort both living in-state and having a BA is unchanged, with a possible decline in overall BA attainment. These patterns notwithstanding, the magnitude of merit aid effects is of an order of magnitude smaller than size of the treated population, suggesting that nearly all of the spending on these programs transfers resources to individuals whose ultimate migration decisions remain unchanged.

Pension-spiking, free-riding, and the effects of pension reform on teachers' earnings

In many states, local school districts are responsible for setting the earnings that determines the size of pensions, but are not required to make contributions to cover the resulting state pension fund liabilities. In this paper, I document evidence that this intergovernmental incentive inherent in public sector defined benefit pension systems distorts the amount and timing of income for public school teachers. I use the introduction of a policy that required experience-rating on earnings increases above a certain limit in a differences-in-differences framework to identify whether districts are willing to pay the full costs of their earnings promises. Because of the design of the policy, overall earnings of teachers near retirement did not change. Instead, districts that previously provided one-time pay increases shifted to smaller increments spread out over several years. In addition, some districts that did not practice pension-spiking prior to the reform appear to begin providing payments up to the new, lower limit, perhaps due to increased salience of the fiscal incentive. Therefore, the policy was ineffective at decreasing pension costs.