Columbia University, USA, and IZA, Germany
IZA World of Labor role
Author, Topic spokesperson
Expertise
Parental leave, Family leave, Childcare, Early childhood education, Educational inequalities, Achievement gaps, Poverty, Measuring poverty
Country
United States
Languages
English - Native speaker, French - Non-native speaker, German - Non-native speaker
Media experience
Print, Digital, Television, Radio
Jw205@columbia.edu
Current position
Professor, Columbia University School of Social Work (since 1995)
Qualifications
PhD Public Policy, Harvard University, 1994
Selected publications
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Too Many Children Left Behind: The US Achievement Gap in Comparative Perspective. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2015.
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Britain’s War on Poverty. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2010.
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What Children Need. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006.
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Securing the Future: Investing in Children from Birth to College. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2000 (with S. Danziger).
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“Early years policy.” Child Development Research (2011): 1–12 (with E. Washbrook).
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The role of preschool in reducing inequality
Preschool improves child outcomes, especially for disadvantaged children
Jane Waldfogel, December 2015Children from disadvantaged families have lower levels of school readiness when they enter school than do children from more advantaged families. Many countries have tried to reduce this inequality through publicly provided preschool. Evidence on the potential of these programs to reduce inequality in child development is now quite strong. Long-term studies of large publicly funded programs in Europe and Latin America, and newer studies on state and local prekindergarten programs implemented more recently in the US, find that the programs do improve outcomes for young children, particularly for those from disadvantaged families.MoreLess