Think of the children
What two studies about early childhood poverty interventions can tell us about pediatric brain development
Explain It to Me · Vox
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Show Notes
Dylan Matthews, Dara Lind, and Vox policy editor Libby Nelson discuss the findings of two recent studies on early childhood development. One study found that cash transfers increase brain activity in infants, while the other found a negative impact of universal pre-K on academic outcomes. So ... what’s actually going on here? Does one negate the other? The Weeds team talks it out. Plus, a white paper on the effects of parenthood on voter turnout.
References:
Dylan’s story on the cash-transfer study and his piece on the universal pre-K findings
The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity. PNAS
The New York Times’s Jason DeParle’s take on the cash-transfer study
Scott Alexander summarizes the skeptical takes on the cash transfer study
Noah Smith’s review of the research on pre-K, and Kelsey Piper’s
White Paper: Parents, Infants and Voter Turnout: Evidence from the United States
Hosts:
Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox
Dara Lind (@dlind), immigration reporter, ProPublica
Libby Nelson (@libbyanelson), policy editor, Vox
Credits:
Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer
Libby Nelson, editorial adviser
Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts
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