Program Effectiveness
Research Report
Preschool Program Improves Cognitive Control
Date
November 1, 2007
Adele Diamond, W. Steven Barnett, Jessica Thomas, Sarah Munro
November 30, 2007, Science, vol. 317
Findings from a study appearing in the November 30, 2007 issue of Science, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), show that the play-based Tools of the Mind curriculum taught in regular classrooms with regular teachers can improve cognitive control (executive function) in preschool-age children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The research team, which included University of British Columbia’s Adele Diamond and Sarah Munro and NIEER’s Steve Barnett and Jessica Thomas, evaluated 147 5-year-olds in a poor urban school district. Children were randomly assigned to a program teaching Tools or another with a more traditional curriculum. The children receiving Tools turned in markedly higher scores on tests requiring them to inhibit tendencies and focus their attention on the task at hand. Executive function skills correlate with later school success and other important outcomes.
The Authors
W. Steven (Steve) Barnett is a Board of Governors Professor and the founder and Senior Co-Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. Dr. Barnett’s work primarily focuses on public policies regarding early childhood education, child care, and child development.