Deal: Georgia’s Pre-K students make ‘significant gains’ across all areas of learning

Gov. Nathan Deal announced that recent research confirms that students in Georgia’s Pre-K Program continue to exhibit positive outcomes across all areas of learning through the end of kindergarten. Building upon the successes of the 2015 study, research results showed that children made significant gains during their Pre-K year in all areas of learning, including language and literacy skills, math skills, general knowledge and behavioral skills. Student academic growth indicated that they progressed at a greater rate during the time they participated in Georgia’s Pre-K Program than would be expected for normal developmental growth.

“Building a strong foundation for the growth and development of Georgia’s youngest learners has remained a top priority of mine since taking office,” said Deal. “The primary skills these children acquire in effective Pre-K and kindergarten programs put them on track to read at grade level by the third grade, a significant predictor of future academic success. Additionally, teacher retention and abilities are key components to maintaining a quality Pre-K program. For this reason, the Georgia General Assembly invested more than $36 million in the FY 2017 budget to retain and recruit quality Pre-K teachers by increasing salaries to be on par with those of their K-12 peers.”