Brown University-Annenberg Study Shows Acelero Learning Head Start Children Made Significant Gains in 2020-21 Despite Pandemic

NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent study conducted by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, in collaboration with Acelero Learning, found that Head Start infants, toddlers and preschoolers in Acelero programs made significant gains during the 2020-2021 school year despite the pandemic. These findings are especially compelling given reports of the disastrous effects of the pandemic on childhood education nationally. 

The Brown University-Annenberg study is one of the first to assess early skill development during the pandemic, which is critically important in shaping future instruction.  According to Susanna Loeb, Director of the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, "Given the unique circumstances of this past year, understanding students' progress is unusually important for serving families and it will be supremely helpful in determining how to approach future instruction. Acelero's results cannot be generalized across the field of early childhood education, but it is notable that across age groups and both learning settings [virtual and in-person], Acelero's students made significant gains in domains of print knowledge and numeracy, and children in centers also made significant gains in executive function."

The study evaluated children ages six weeks to four years who were enrolled in both in-person and virtual learning models in Acelero Learning Head Start programs, located in Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The study found that three- and four-year-old students in both learning settings, made significant gains in the domains of print knowledge and numeracy, during the pandemic. The study also found that infants and toddlers made significant gains across both learning settings in language development.

These findings are particularly notable as they come on the heels of a landmark report by the University of Michigan and the Urban Institute, which found there is evidence to suggest significant setbacks among early learners, where "children from families with low incomes, children of color, and dual language learners (DLLs) bore more of the brunt of the crisis than their peers."  Their report also suggests that setbacks were not only in academic outcomes, but also social skills, emotional intelligence, interactions with peers and more.

According to the Brown University-Annenberg study, three- and four-year-olds in Acelero centers made notable gains in most areas of learning and skill development, including executive functioning, print knowledge, and numeracy.  Head Start students in Acelero centers made greater gains than those students learning remotely, despite starting at a lower baseline. Notably, children in Acelero Learning's virtual options also made significant gains in print knowledge and numeracy. In Early Head Start, the study found that infants and toddlers demonstrated an increase in language acquisition between winter and spring within the 2020-21 program year.

"We enroll children who face the greatest barriers and are in most need of in-person services, and the results of the study confirm how much high quality education matters for those children, especially in the dire circumstances of the pandemic. This study also demonstrates how our teachers and staff remained steadfast and committed in the face of unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, focusing on doing what was best for the children and families we serve," said Rory Sipp, Senior Vice President of Acelero Learning Head Start.

The findings from this study support the decision by the Office of Head Start and Congress to fund Head Start without interruption during the pandemic, making it possible for Head Start programs like Acelero Learning to continue serving children and families during the most challenging times. 

"It is the result of the tireless work of caregivers, teachers, family advocates, and staff, as well as the commitment of the Office of Head Start and elected officials to maintain and expand funding for Head Start programs during the pandemic that made these child outcome gains possible.  I hope our public officials extend their commitment to increased long-term investment in early childhood education," added Sipp.

Dr. Bernadine Futrell, the Director of the Office of Head Start, agrees with the importance of the Brown University-Annenberg findings, pointing out that investments in Head Start have been unprecedented. In addition to the 2020 appropriation of $10.6 billion, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act designated $750 million more for the federal program, demonstrating a commitment to supporting America's most vulnerable families. In May, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) provided $1 billion to support Head Start programs in reaching more eligible families.

According to Futrell, "Acelero Learning's results support what we know from thousands of stories we have received from Head Start programs around the country. Head Start works -- for children, families, and communities -- even in the most unimaginably difficult circumstances. We appreciate the heroic work that Head Start staff around the country have done over the past 18 months and the research that Brown has conducted here to demonstrate what it means to deliver on the promise of the Head Start program."

In response to Brown University-Annenberg's study on Acelero Learning's results, Yasmina Vinci, the Executive Director of the National Head Start Association, reiterated the importance of ongoing operations during the pandemic, stating, "This past program year, Head Start leaders across the country invested enormous amounts of time and energy into the quality of the virtual and in-person learning they delivered. The big question on all our minds is: Did it work? We are thrilled that the answer is, without a doubt, yes."

To accommodate for two different learning models and in response to pandemic restrictions, program evaluation consisted of entirely remote assessment administration. The Brown University-Annenberg research team administered direct assessments of Head Start children, utilizing the Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS), Test of Preschool Early Literacy – Print Knowledge subtest (TOPEL), and Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDI) – Early Numeracy subtests.

Read the entire Brown University-Annenberg study here.

Acelero Learning, and its divisions Shine Early Learning and Spark Learning Lab, are pioneers in early childhood education and family engagement services, impacting tens of thousands of children, ages birth to five, and their families across the country.

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SOURCE Acelero Learning