The heterogeneity of effects of preschool education on cognitive outcomes in Latin America

This study applies a propensity score matching model to quantify the significance of preschool education in short- and medium-term academic results in several Latin American countries, using data from the Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE) conducted among third and sixth grade pupils. The results vary by country and grade, with standard deviations ranging between 0.05 and 0.3. Third-grade reading and mathematics scores show an effect greater than 0.10 standard deviations in at least 10 countries, while 7 countries show the same effect for the three tests conducted in sixth grade.