Methodological Advances in the Analysis of Individual Growth With Relevance to Education Policy

This chapter demonstrates how methodological developments in the analysis of individual growth can inform important problems in education policy. It focuses on a method referred to as growth mixture modeling. The chapter examines growth mixture modeling to data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten class of 1998–1999. It also focuses on the estimation of latent growth trajectory classes in reading proficiency and the effects of full-day or part-day kindergarten programs on growth within reading trajectory classes. The chapter provides an application growth mixture modeling—a methodology that is argued to be of particular relevance to education policy analysis. It discusses a didactic overview of conventional growth curve modeling from the structural equation modeling perspective and sets the statistical groundwork for the discussion of growth mixture modeling in the second section. The chapter presents the specific research questions, data source and measures, and analytic steps.