EARLY INTERVENTION – SOME STARTING POINTS Alan Dyson Centre for Equity in Education, University of Manchester d.a.dyson@manchester.ac.uk

socio-economic background Outcomes are shaped by socio-economic background The Marmot Review (2010) Fair society, healthy lives DCSF (2009) Deprivation and education

Some key issues… Gaps appear early They don’t narrow Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies, 2(1), 2011) Gaps appear early They don’t narrow There’s a gradient – not a cliff Services ameliorate – but they don’t transform

Early intervention makes a difference

Academic, economic, and social outcomes for the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian Programs. Academic, economic, and social outcomes for the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian Programs. (A) Data from the Perry Program collected when the individuals were 27 years old (High/Scope). >10th percentile achievement, children who scored above the lowest 10% on the California Achievement Test (1970) at age 14; HS Grad, number of children who graduated high school on time. (B) Data from the Abecedarian Program collected when the individuals were 21 years old (Carolina Abecedarian Project and the Carolina Approach to Responsive Education, 1972–1992). Red bars, intervention group; blue bars, control group. Academic, economic, and social outcomes for the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian Programs. (A) Data from the Perry Program collected when the individuals were 27 years old (High/Scope). >10th percentile achievement, children who scored above the lowest 10% on the California Achievement Test (1970) at age 14; HS Grad, number of children who graduated high school on time. (B) Data from the Abecedarian Program collected when the individuals were 21 years old (Carolina Abecedarian Project and the Carolina Approach to Responsive Education, 1972–1992). Red bars, intervention group; blue bars, control group. Knudsen E I et al. PNAS 2006;103:10155-10162 ©2006 by National Academy of Sciences

The relationship between background & outcomes is complex…

So, there are many points where intervention is necessary… …and possible

What does ‘early’ mean? Early in the causal process Tackling causes not effects Working on the contexts http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/ecd_kn_report_07_2007.pdf Through coordinated interventions

A US example http://www.hcz.org/home One of our core beliefs is that in poor communities where, literally, all of the institutions are failing children, you can’t do one thing and expect you’ll solve the issue of scale. I mean, you can save some children with an early intervention programme, and you can save some children if you work with addicted mothers, and you can save some children if you have after-school programs. But if you start talking about how you’re going to save most of the children, you have to do all those things, and do them over the long term, and you have to make sure you count how many children actually received those services.

The HCZ pipeline

Four levels of work to improve school outcomes & life chances Working on learning Working with the child Working with the family Working with the area

Five essentials 1. A holistic approach, working across all four levels 2. Adequate resource & expertise to work at all four levels 3. Evidence-based approaches, in terms of: - what works in general? - what is needed here? - what is working here? 4. Intelligent coordination & leadership 5. Schools as key players: - doing their own job well - contributing to a coordinated approach - leading a coordinated approach

Some starting points

Transformative effects on disadvantaged students disadvantaged families & adults Prospect of community effects Positive effects on school ethos & standing Synergies with school improvement

Centre for Equity in Education http://www. education. manchester. ac Centre for Equity in Education http://www.education.manchester.ac.uk/resear ch/centres/cee/