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Evaluating the Impact of LENA Grow on Pre-K Classroom Quality and Children’s Language and Literacy Development

Principal Investigator

Sarah Gerard – SRI International; Todd Grindal – SRI International

Project Description

This study evaluates the impact of LENA Grow, a five-week, data-driven professional development and coaching model designed to increase teacher-child conversational turns in Pre-K classrooms. Using a randomized controlled trial, SRI will assign approximately 200 classrooms across 70 centers to either implement LENA Grow or continue with business-as-usual practice, reaching roughly 2,000 children across diverse Pre-K settings. The study will measure impacts on classroom conversational turns and children’s receptive vocabulary and early literacy skills, while also examining implementation quality, variation in impacts across student and teacher characteristics, and classroom-level costs of implementing the model.

Research Questions

  • What is the impact of LENA Grow on classroom conversational turns and children’s language and literacy skills?
  • How is LENA Grow implemented in practice, and what are the associated costs at the classroom level?
  • How do the impacts of LENA Grow vary by student characteristics and by differences in teacher engagement and implementation?

Status

In Progress

Study Type

RCT

Grantee

LENA

SRI International

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Young boy sits in desk at school

Courtesy of TalkingPoints

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