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The Lasting Effects of Early-Childhood Education on Promoting the Skills and Social Mobility of Disadvantaged African Americans and Their Children

Author

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  • Jorge Luis García
  • James J. Heckman
  • Victor Ronda

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the long-term intra- and intergenerational benefits of the HighScope Perry Preschool Project, which targeted disadvantaged African American children. We use newly collected data on the original participants through late middle age and on their children into their midtwenties. We document long-lasting improvements in the original participants’ skills, marriage stability, earnings, criminal behavior, and health. Beneficial program impacts through the child-rearing years translate into better family environments for their children, leading to intergenerational gains. Children of the original participants have higher levels of education and employment, lower levels of criminal activity, and better health than children of the controls.

Suggested Citation

  • Jorge Luis García & James J. Heckman & Victor Ronda, 2023. "The Lasting Effects of Early-Childhood Education on Promoting the Skills and Social Mobility of Disadvantaged African Americans and Their Children," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 131(6), pages 1477-1506.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/722936
    DOI: 10.1086/722936
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    Cited by:

    1. Eva M. Berger & Ernst Fehr & Henning Hermes & Daniel Schunk & Kirsten Winkel, 2025. "The Impact of Working-Memory Training on Children’s Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 133(2), pages 492-521.
    2. Carbuccia, Laudine & Heim, Arthur & Barone, Carlo & Chevallier, Coralie, 2024. "Investigating how administrative burden and search costs affect social inequalities in early childcare access, a randomised controlled trial," OSF Preprints w2ey7, Center for Open Science.
    3. de Vries, Sander & Ketel, Nadine & Lindeboom, Maarten, 2024. "From Parents' Cradle to Children's Career: Intergenerational Effects of Parental Investments," IZA Discussion Papers 17570, IZA Network @ LISER.
    4. repec:osf:osfxxx:w2ey7_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Qiuchuan Jiang & Weiwei Zhao & Kun Zhang, 2026. "Inequality of opportunity in educational achievement in China: a machine learning approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 70(3), pages 1-37, March.
    6. Hjalmarsson, Randi & Machin, Stephen & Pinotti, Paolo, 2024. "Crime and the labor market," Handbook of Labor Economics,, Elsevier.
    7. Heckman, James & Pinto, Rodrigo & Shaikh, Azeem M., 2024. "Dealing with imperfect randomization: Inference for the highscope perry preschool program," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 243(1).
    8. Zhang, Zihan & Kim, Jun Hyung, 2023. "The Inheritance of Historical Trauma: Intergenerational Effects of Early-Life Exposure to Famine on Mental Health," IZA Discussion Papers 16385, IZA Network @ LISER.
    9. Deepak Saraswat & Shwetlena Sabarwal & Lindsey Lacey & Natasha Jha & Nishith Prakash & Rachel Cohen, 2025. "Shaping Future Success: Evidence from an Early Childhood Human Capital Formation Intervention," CESifo Working Paper Series 12160, CESifo.
    10. Berlinski, Samuel & Sanz-de-Galdeano, Anna & Sóñora-Noya, Alba, 2025. "Gender gaps in early childhood development in Latin America and the Caribbean," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    11. Barham, Tania & Díaz-Botía, Oscar M. & Macours, Karen & Maluccio, John A. & Rueda, Julieta Vera, 2025. "Second generation effects of an experimental conditional cash transfer program on early childhood human capital in Nicaragua," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    12. Frederik H. Bennhoff & Jorge Luis García & Duncan Ermini Leaf, 2024. "The Dynastic Benefits of Early-Childhood Education: Participant Benefits and Family Spillovers," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(1), pages 44-73.
    13. Stephen Machin & Matteo Sandi, 2025. "Crime and Education," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 17(1), pages 241-260, August.
    14. Ariel Kalil & Mauricio Koechlin, 2026. "Income Shocks and the Intergenerational Transmission of Executive Function," Working Papers 2026-30, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    15. Alison W. Baulos & Jorge Luis García & James J. Heckman, 2024. "Perry Preschool at 50: What Lessons Should Be Drawn and Which Criticisms Ignored?," NBER Working Papers 32972, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Madeline Duhon & Lia Fernald & Joan Hamory & Edward Miguel & Eric Ochieng & Michael W. Walker, 2024. "Intergenerational Human Capital Impacts and Complementarities in Kenya," NBER Working Papers 32617, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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