January 13, 2010 4:34PM

Head Start EPIC FAIL

By Adam B. Schaeffer

Andrew’s earlier post is a great overview of the context for the Head Start findings.

I thought we should also highlight the description of the Head Start Impact Study findings in the report itself (p.215/4–31):

Looking at effects on participants does not change the overall patterns found in the main analysis, which show that Head Start improved children’s language and literacy development during the program year but not later and had only one strongly confirmed impact on math ability in a negative direction. (For the 3‐year‐old cohort, kindergarten teachers reported poorer math skills for children in the Head Start group than children in the control group.)

This is a devastating report for proponents of government‐run early childhood initiatives.

It’s past time we turn to the education reform that has proven itself through multiple random‐assignment studies; school choice.

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