Chapter 10, Problem 39SE

Preschool Attendance and High School Graduation Rates (Example 7) The Perry Preschool Project was created in the early 1960s by David Weikart in Ypsilanti, Michigan. One hundred twenty three African American children were randomly assigned to one of two groups: One group enrolled in the Perry Preschool, and one did not enroll. Follow-up studies were done for decades to answer the research question of whether attendance at preschool had an effect on high school graduation. The table shows whether the students graduated from regular high school or not. Students who received GEDs were counted as not graduating from high school. This table includes 121 of the original 123. This is a test of homogeneity, because the students were randomized into two distinct samples. (Schweinhart et al. 2005)

a. For those who attended preschool, the high school graduation rate was 37/57, or $64.9\%$. Find the high school graduation rate for those not attending preschool, and compare the two. Comment on what the rates show for these subjects.

b. Are attendance at preschool and high school graduation associated? Use a $0.05$ level of significance.