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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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STRENGTHENING BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS for Early Childhood Interventions

Workshop Summary

Alexandra Beatty, Rapporteur

Committee on Strengthening Benefit-Cost Methodology for the Evaluation of Early Childhood Interventions

Board on Children, Youth, and Families

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL AND INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Grant No. 08-91104-000-HCD between the National Academy of Sciences and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

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Suggested citation: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2009). Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. A. Beatty, Rapporteur. Committee on Strengthening Benefit-Cost Methodology for the Evaluation of Early Childhood Interventions, Board on Children, Youth, and Families. Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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COMMITTEE ON STRENGTHENING BENEFIT-COST METHODOLOGY FOR THE EVALUATION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTIONS

Barbara L. Wolfe (Chair),

Department of Population Health Sciences and Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Ron Haskins,

Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC

Robert M. Kaplan,

School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles

Lynn A. Karoly,

RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA

Henry M. Levin,

Teachers College, Columbia University

Jens Ludwig,

Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago

James S. Marks,

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ

Margaret C. Simms,

The Urban Institute, Washington, DC

Jane Waldfogel,

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, Harvard University and Columbia University

David L. Weimer,

Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Mary Ellen O’Connell, Study Director

Alexandra Beatty, Rapporteur

Bridget Kelly, Program Officer

Wendy Keenan, Program Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
×

BOARD ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES

Bernard Guyer (Chair),

Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University

Jane D. Brown,

School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Linda Marie Burton,

Sociology Department, Duke University

Angela Diaz,

Department of Pediatrics and Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Gary W. Evans,

Department of Human Development, Cornell University

Christine C. Ferguson,

School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University

Sherry A. Glied,

Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

William T. Greenough,

Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ruby Hearn,

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (emeritus), Princeton, NJ

Michele D. Kipke,

Saban Research Institute, University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles

Betsy Lozoff,

Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan

Pamela Morris,

Policy Area on Family Well-Being and Children’s Development, MDRC, New York

Charles A. Nelson,

Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital, Boston

Patricia O’Campo,

University of Toronto and Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto

Frederick P. Rivara,

Schools of Medicine and Public Health, University of Washington, and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle

John R. Weisz,

Judge Baker Children’s Center and Harvard Medical School

Hirokazu Yoshikawa,

Graduate School of Education, Harvard University

Michael Zubkoff,

Department of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School

Rosemary Chalk, Board Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
×

Acknowledgments

This workshop summary is based on the discussion at a March 4-5, 2009, workshop convened by the Board on Children, Youth, and Families and planned by the Committee on Strengthening Benefit-Cost Methodology for the Evaluation of Early Childhood Interventions. The committee members identified presenters, organized the agenda, made presentations, and facilitated discussion, although they did not participate in the writing of this report. This summary reflects their diligent efforts, the excellent presentations by other experts at the workshop, and the insightful comments of the many workshop participants. The workshop was funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; the interest and support of Michael Stegman, director of policy, is much appreciated.

The summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee of the National Research Council. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Steve Aos, Office of the Associate Director, Washington State Institute for Public Policy, Olympia, Washington; Matthew Neidell, Department of Health Policy and Manage-

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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ment, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University; Mariajosé Romero, National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University; and Barbara L. Wolfe, Departments of Economics and Population Health Sciences, La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Michael A. Stoto, Health Services Administration and Population Health, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12777.
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The deficiencies that many children experience from birth to school age--in health care, nutrition, emotional support, and intellectual stimulation, for example--play a major role in academic achievement gaps that persist for years, as well as in behavior and other problems. There are many intervention programs designed to strengthen families, provide disadvantaged children with the critical elements of healthy development, and prevent adverse experiences that can have lasting negative effects.

In a climate of economic uncertainty and tight budgets, hard evidence not only that such interventions provide lasting benefits for children, their families, and society, but also that the benefits translate into savings that outweigh the costs is an extremely important asset in policy discussions. Convincing analysis of benefits and costs would provide a guide to the best ways to spend scarce resources for early childhood programs.

Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions summarizes a workshop that was held to explore ways to strengthen benefit-cost analysis so it can be used to support effective policy decisions. This book describes the information and analysis that were presented at the workshop and the discussions that ensued.

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