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An Evaluation of the Alief Independent School District Jumpstart Program: Using a Model to Recover Mechanisms from an RCT

Author

Listed:
  • Flavio Cunha
  • Qinyou Hu
  • Andrea Salvati
  • Kenneth Wolpin
  • Rui Zeng

Abstract

This paper evaluates the Jumpstart Program (JSP), a parenting intervention implemented by a school district in the Houston area to enhance school readiness among economically disadvantaged three-year-old children. Unlike many early childhood programs typically tested in controlled research settings, JSP leverages existing school district resources for scalability and practical application. We conducted a three-year randomized controlled trial to measure the program’s impact on child cognitive outcomes, parental engagement, and mechanisms of change. The results indicate improvements in children’s performance on curriculum-aligned assessments and modest gains in general cognitive readiness as measured by the Bracken School Readiness Assessment. Furthermore, treatment group parents demonstrated increased reading frequency with their children, underscoring enhanced parental involvement as a crucial mechanism behind the program’s success. We employed a structural model to analyze both the direct effects of JSP and its indirect effects through changes in the marginal productivity of investments or preferences via habit formation. Our analysis concludes that 75% of the program’s impact is attributed to direct effects, while 25% is mediated through changes in habit formation in parental investments. Our research underscores the potential of scalable, real-world interventions to bridge socio-economic gaps in early childhood development and inform the design of effective educational policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Flavio Cunha & Qinyou Hu & Andrea Salvati & Kenneth Wolpin & Rui Zeng, 2025. "An Evaluation of the Alief Independent School District Jumpstart Program: Using a Model to Recover Mechanisms from an RCT," NBER Working Papers 33537, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33537
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C51 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Construction and Estimation
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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