1. EARLY INTERVENTION – SOME STARTING POINTS
Alan Dyson
Centre for Equity in Education, University of Manchester

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

3. 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

4. Early intervention makes a difference

5. 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:
©2006 by National Academy of Sciences

6. The relationship between background & outcomes is complex…

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

8. What does ‘early’ mean? Early in the causal process
Tackling causes not effects
Working on the contexts
Through coordinated interventions

9. 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.

10. The HCZ pipeline

11. 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

12. 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

13. Some starting points

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

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