> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
> Behalf Of Gautam Mukunda
[snip]
> While I'm not the opponent of the Great Society that John was, this is not
> true. Although Head Start is immensely popular with politicians and the
> public, there is, in fact, considerable statistical evidence that it has
> _no_ impact on the long-term outcomes of the students who
> participate in it.
> It's a pity - it's a good idea that should have worked, but it
> just doesn't.
That is dead wrong. The fact is that there is no strong statistical
evidence one way or the other. Even the right-wing Heritage Foundation
doesn't claim there is evidence that Head Start doesn't work, they only call
for a study to find out if it does. See
http://www.heritage.org/library/backgrounder/bg1202.html.
And there certainly is *some* evidence that it does have a long-term impact:
http://www.highscope.org/research/HeadStartStudy.htm
Clearly, Congress hasn't made up its mind about Head Start, or it wouldn't
have ordered the first statistically valid, large-scale study, which is
currently underway.
The impact study came about as a compromise after Democrats refused to go
along with several GOP proposed changes to the program, each of which was
aimed at letting market forces decide which children would benefit and which
programs would survive:
* Vouchers for preschoolers to attend other programs.
* Remove the requirement to pay union wages on Head Start construction.
* Bar children whose mothers did not help locate the child's father for
financial support.
Nick
