Adult outcomes as a function of an early childhood educational program: An Abecedarian Project follow-up.
Open accessAbstract
Adult (age 30) educational, economic, and social-emotional adjustment outcomes were investigated for participants in the Abecedarian Project, a randomized controlled trial of early childhood education for children from low-income families. Of the original 111 infants enrolled (98% African American), 101 took part in the age 30 follow-up. Primary indicators of educational level, economic status, and social adjustment were examined as a function of early childhood treatment. Treated individuals attained significantly more years of education, but income-to-needs ratios and criminal involvement did not vary significantly as a function of early treatment. A number of other indicators were described for each domain. Overall, the findings provide strong evidence for educational benefits, mixed evidence for economic benefits, and little evidence for treatment-related social adjustment outcomes. Implications for public policy are discussed.
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The review identified few primary prevention studies which did not demonstrate impact, suggesting publication bias, which undermines the ability to assess unsuccessful interventions.
“Finally, we identified few primary prevention studies which did not demonstrate impact25,34,36 suggesting publication bias, which undermines our ability to assess unsuccessful interventions.”
From Community investment interventions as a means for decarceration: A scoping review (2022) · cites this paper as [25]
The Results (no page supplied) report no treatment difference in criminal activity, so this paper provides an example of a prevention study with a null outcome. But the Results also report significant educational gains, so it is not an example of an intervention that showed no impact overall. The paper does not assess the citing review’s study count or its suggestion of publication bias. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe Abecedarian Project RCT found no significant difference between intervention and control groups in conviction or incarceration as late as 30 years from the intervention.
“An RCT evaluating The Abecedarian Project, an intensive early childhood education targeting children considered at risk for academic failure found no significant difference between intervention and control groups in conviction or incarceration as late as 30 years from the intervention.25”
From Community investment interventions as a means for decarceration: A scoping review (2022) · cites this paper as [25]
At 21, Abecedarian intervention participants had fewer depressive symptoms, less marijuana use, more physical activity, and better educational and vocational outcomes than controls.
“At age 21, the intervention group had fewer symptoms of depression, lower marijuana use, a more active lifestyle, and significant educational and vocational benefits compared to the control group.(16, 17)”
From Evaluating strategies for reducing health disparities by addressing the social determinants of health. (2016) · cites this paper as [16]
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“In its focus on the psychological determinants of life success, the present study invites comparison to classic research on major structural reforms that can improve life trajectories, such as increasing opportunities for early childhood education ( 31 ).”
BackgroundResultAbimpaye, M., Dusabe, C., Nzabonimpa, J. P., Ashford, R., & Pisani, L. (2020) · International Journal of Behavioral Development · doi:10.1177/0165025419861173 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Campbell, F. A., Pungello, E. P., Burchinal, M., Kainz, K., Pan, Y., Wasik, B. H., Barbarin, O. A., Sparling, J. J., & Ramey, C. T.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Tulane University (US)
- Virginia Tech (US)
- Venue
- Developmental Psychology
- Published
- 2012-07
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1033-1043
- ISSN
- 0012-1649 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-0599
- PMC
- PMC3989926
- OpenAlex
- W2107321230
- Cited by
- 408
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 34 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 125.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Developmental Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
- UNC Libraries
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (R01 HD040817)
- Health Resources and Services Administration (6 R40 MC 00254)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Social Sciences › Education › School Choice and Performance
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Youth Development and Social Support
- Keywords
- Abecedarian Project, early childhood education, low-income households, African American children, educational attainment, economic status, income-to-needs ratio, criminal involvement, social adaptation, long-term outcomes, early intervention, public policy
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Age Factors, Child Development, Child, Preschool, Educational Status, Family, Female, Health Status, Humans, Infant, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Poverty, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Social Adjustment, Socioeconomic Factors, Statistics as Topic, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Early Intervention, Educational, Young Adult
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