A recent congressionally authorized study lead by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that Head Start, the $8 billion early childhood program, has no long-term impacts on its students.
The Head Start Impact Study (HSIS) also found that in areas such as math and social-emotional skills, Head Start children fared worse compared to those who did not attend Head Start.
Using two age categories to conduct research, HSIS chose newly entering 3 year olds and 4 year olds who were then randomly assigned to either enroll in Head Start or choose to enroll in other early childhood programs that did not include Head Start. Both cohorts were followed through their Head Start participation years, kindergarten, 1st grade and 3rd grade, allowing for researchers to study long-lasting impacts.
In a number of key findings, the study explicitly states, “The evidence is clear that access to Head Start improved children’s preschool outcomes across developmental domains, but had few impacts on children in kindergarten through 3rd grade.” It continues by summarizing the impact of Head Start’s literacy and language development and its failure to leave a lasting impression saying “These early effects rapidly dissipated in elementary school, with only a single impact remaining at the end of the 3rd grade for children in each age cohort.”
However, Head Start administrators say the study is flawed. Southeastern Louisiana University Head Start Center Director, Windy Wells, says there are multiple unanswered questions in regards to the study.
“In my opinion Head Start has a favorable impact on literacy and language development and because the study is flawed the impact was only documented in the early stages with an 80 percent return response from teachers and parents,” said Wells. “And, the study only had a 60 percent response on impact in the later stages of the student’s development.”
Evaluating nearly 5,000 children, the study concluded that the Head Start 3 year old group had a significantly different math average by kindergarten than those of the non-Head Start control group. Head Start children averaged lower in math proficiency compared to children who did not attend Head Start.
Furthermore, no significant Head Start impacts of math skills were found to be evident in the 4-year-old cohort.
SLU’s Head Start Center Director also dismissed these findings.
“Again because this study has many flaws, once the children left Head Start they were more than likely going to schools with lower proficiency scores because of their socioeconomic background,” said Wells. “Naturally the math assessments for a child that is in kindergarten for a year in a school district with higher proficiency scores will score higher on their assessment.”
HSIS also found that Head Start had a negative impact on grade promotion, as reported by parents of the Head Start group.
“At the end of the 3rd grade, there was suggestive evidence of an unfavorable impact- the parents of the Head Start group children reported a significantly lower child grade promotion rate than the parents of the non-Head Start group children,” reported the HHS in the HSIS.
In regards to social-emotional development, parent reporting and teacher reporting contrasted. In both groups, Head Start parents found positive impacts on social skills while teachers reported unfavorable or no significant impacts.
Wells explained why parent reporting in this circumstance is more accurate than teacher reporting.
“The parents reported their child showed less aggressive behaviors and less total problem behaviors from the Head Start group, and I believe that holds true because the parents knew their child’s behavior before Head Start enrollment and seen the difference in their behavior after Head Start,” said Wells. “The teachers are only giving their reports based on the child’s behavior as they come into the school system not knowing what the child has overcome with their behavior thus far going into kindergarten.”  Still, some social-emotional impacts reported were not sustained through the 3rd grade.
Concluding in its “Final Thoughts” portion, HSIS explains its similarities to past studies saying, “HSIS cognitive outcomes are in line with other experimental and non-experimental early education studies,” and “longitudinal data from the experimental evaluation of Early Head Start showed a similar pattern of early positive impacts that were not sustained into elementary school.”
Even with research which highlights the many problems within Head Start, the program continues to take in billions in federal funding, racking in $2.33 billion from the federal stimulus alone. Head Start works in collaboration with Southeastern but does not receive any revenue from the university. Nonetheless, Head Start says it is because the program does have a positive impact.
“We continue to receive billons of federal dollars because we do make a positive impact on children and families,” said Wells. “Even in this study by HHS, as flawed as it may be, it shows Head Start is making a positive difference. We serve high risk students in low socioeconomic environments offering them a program of high standards and a common goal for excellence.”