Invest in Kids Early and Long

In recent years a great deal has been written about the importance of educational investments in the early years. One of the strongest proponents of early investments has been James Heckman, a 2000 Nobel laureate in economics. From his more recent research, Heckman has modified his views somewhat. Writing in Education Week (March 21, 2007; www.edweek.org) he observed...

"Our study looked at the impact of investing in boys, the most troubled teenage demographic, and especially at boys born to low-achieving white mothers. We found that without additional skill-building investments, most at-risk boys will falter. Only about two in five boys, we determined, would graduate from high school, fewer than five percent would enroll in college, and more than 40 percent would wind up convicted of crimes or on probation.

"Boys who had the benefit of a comprehensive preschool program fared better. They were more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college — and considerably less likely to be convicted of crimes or go on welfare. But the unexpected finding was that at-risk boys were easily most successful when investment was sustained into the teenage years. Under that scenario, more than nine in ten boys graduated from high school, and nearly 40 percent attended college. Only about 10 percent of the boys would be convicted of crimes — and just 2 percent would end up on welfare....

"Too often, government officials design programs for children as if they lived their lives in silos, as if each stage of a child's life were independent of the other, unconnected to what came before or what lies ahead. It's time for policymakers now to look beyond the silos, to begin recognizing that consistent, cost-effective investment in children and youths can pay for itself...."

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