Researchers at the WashU Brown School have received a $311,796 grant from the Brady Education Foundation to continue a landmark 18-year study examining how early asset-building policies influence children’s educational success.
Led by Michael Sherraden, the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor and co-director of the Center for Social Development, and the CSD team, the project builds on the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) initiative, the nation’s largest and longest randomized policy experiment on Child Development Accounts.
Launched in 2007 with 2,704 Oklahoma newborns, the study examines whether investment accounts opened automatically at birth, in combination with seed deposits and savings incentives, improve children’s educational and developmental outcomes over time. The Brady-funded project will support Wave 4 of data collection as participants reach age 18, marking the first time researchers will study outcomes during the transition from asset growth to asset use for postsecondary education.
Researchers will examine impacts on high school completion, academic achievement and college enrollment, as well as the financial and psychosocial pathways that shape those outcomes across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The findings are expected to provide important evidence on the long-term effects of Child Development Account policies, including newer initiatives such as “Trump Accounts,” which are being implemented for millions of children nationwide.
