Head Start Needs Reform

So sad to see a controversey based on such an obvious flaw in logic. The linked article asserts that “children who had attended Head Start did no better than similar children who did not attend Head Start” and uses that as evidence of a problem.

But that’s the kind of data you get when you ask the wrong question. It doesn;t matter if Sally who attends does better than Becky who did not. It only matters whether or not Sally did better than the otherwise would have.

And, in a sense… it’s preschool. What are we really expecting here? Of all the things for Obama to attack. What a dissapointment.

A link to a news story rather than an opinion piece would have been helpful.

Explains Joe Klein’s prowess with the written word and his so-called “opinions”. I do believe we have a graduate of the Head Start Program. Don’t we Joe Klein?

And, in a sense… it’s preschool. What are we really expecting here?
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Perhaps part of the problem is that some programs are more daycare than preschool?
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Of all the things for Obama to attack.
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Disagree, and disagree with framing this as an ‘attack’. I don’t mind if funding is pulled for select weapons programs that are not working…same with select Head Start programs.
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One thing I don’t see more of is an emphasis on continuous improvement processes instead of market-based, competitive solutions like the one outlined in the linked article.

I don’t see this as necessarily being an attack, it may very well make sense to re-evaluate the program (i wouldn’t know i haven’t been paying attention), not as to whether it should be continued but as to how.
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I tend to think that we should not necessarily worry so much about the gross size of any one program as to how well it works, better government not more (or less) if you will.

destor23 – I don’t necessarily disagree with the first two paragraphs of your assessment, but I do take issue with the third. Preschool is critically important for a number of reasons.
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You state, “What are we really expecting here?” That implies this is a program that doesn’t do much good anyway. I disagree with your premise but if your premise were true then this is a program that shouldn’t be funded anyway.

@jake: I don’t think I explained myself all that well. Look, from my point of view, if a kid gets to go to pre school and otherwise wouldn’t, the program succeeds. We don’t need to justify it by later academic achievement and I sincerely doubt that any justification would truly stand up to rigorous scrutiny. These are 4 year olds. Their futures have not been written and will not be written by either Head Start or the 92nd Street Y.

I wonder if it isn’t really daycare. Also, not sure if that’s a bad thing. Parents need the help! Totally willing to be wrong about my use of the word attack.

Not enough time to dig into this…what about HS’ impact based on socio-economic status? I would imagine poorer kids may benefit more than those more well-to-do. No mention that I know of concerning how kids who went thru HS fared ten, 15 years later.

Sounds suspiciously like: “based on the results of one test measure, our schools are failing.”

aka the ol’ SFP – Self-fulfilling Prophecy.

Republicans should immediately call for comprehensive so-called “Head Start” reform involving nothing more complex than completing defunding and killing that worthless, make-work boondoggle. The Republicans should title their bill to zero-out “Head Start”: “The Comprehensive Head Start Reform Act”.

BTW, if the Republicans name said plan to make so-called “Head Start” extinct “The Comprehensive Head Start Reform Act”, you can bet your last penny that leftist nitwits, dingbats and useful idiots like Joe Klein and the rest of the political activists of the Washington/New York/American press corps will not call the plan “comprehensive reform” like said fools routinely (and comically) call such bilge like amnesty for criminal illegals (aka “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”) or socialized medicine (aka “Comprehensive Health Care Reform”).

What??? A government program that doesn’t work. Say it ain’t so, Joe.

Exactly, Head Start is pre-school. It should be evaluated on how it socializes (no freeper not that kind of socializtion) children and assists in their security at a tender age.
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Academic evaluations are useless. Children, particularly boys, do not have the fine motor skills nor the attention skills that are conducive to equal outcomes in reading, math, etc.
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Most children, after leaving pre-school, will find their skills become equivalent to those who never attended pre-school or Head Start within a short period.
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As with evaluating public schools, the testing has to be done with intelligence and understanding the system and those variables that exist.

Joe, since you are certainly not an expert on education, you might have referred yourself and us to more than one source.
Remember, you said pundits might not always be the best people to use for all issues. Maybe that experts should be used. Yet, you don’t link to any article that disagrees with your premise.

Remember: Head Start is paid for by your hard-earned tax dollars. The single mom’s who put their kids in Head Start get a sweet deal. They can enroll their three year old and their four year old child in the same school. The three year old will receive two years of Head Start while the older sibling heads of to Kindergarten. The mom gets to stay home with the toddler at home and she gets to rest some since she’s due to deliver her fourth baby in the next couple of months. For the moms who aren’t expecting, they can entertain their boyfriends while the kids are all off to school for most of the day. Since she can drop the kids off at 7:45AM and she has to pick them up at 2:15PM, she gets alot of free daycare. On top of that, the kids get fed two square meals, they brush their teeth, and there’s a short nap and a snack served at 1:30PM. It’s a sweet deal for the single welfare mothers. Some of the single welfare moms have put all six-seven-eight of their children through Head Start and the centers are happy to accomodate them. We are sending out the wrong message to these single mothers. Head Start praises these women for being “good mothers” by putting their kids in Head Start. The centers provide these moms with lots of emotional support and the teachers really spoil the kids. Head Start shouldn’t be in the business of encouraging these women to keep cranking out the babies and bring ‘em on down to Head Start.

because being a single mother is such a good gig, you should try it sometime maybe

Dear GivenUP: I know that being a single mother is terribly difficult. What I don’t understand is why the single mothers I know from Head Start will complain about their hardships about being a single mother of one child. Then this same mother will complain three years later about being a single mother of two children, then three…and so on and so forth. Women do not need to have children in order to validate their existence, especially if it means having a child with a man who has already decided that he’s not going to stick around to support his child and the child’s mother. Women do not need a man to validate their existence. I for one have chosen not to have children of my own. I have adopted a special needs child and I have also been a foster parent. With the help of my sister, brother, and mother, we’ve done quite well raising my child. I wish more women would choose not to have children of their own and to choose adoption instead. There are so many older special needs children who desperately need a loving home. Unfortunately, Head Start would not accept my special needs child into their preschool program because my income is over their “poverty guidelines”. What’s wierd is that I see people driving luxury cars to drop off their kids at Head Start. I’ve seen a big Mercedes Benz, a Lexus or two, a Lincoln Navigator, several Cadillac Escalade’s. and even a Hummer H2. These are the cars poor people drive? Something isn’t right…

“Unfortunately, Head Start would not accept my special needs child into their preschool program because my income is over their “poverty guidelines”"
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My daughter, a special education teacher for preschoolers, has classroom full of 3 year old and up, in a public school.
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Have you checked with your local school district or the State?

I don’t have a lot of experience with Head Start. My granddaughter, who is a junior in college in Early Childhood Education, teaches in a Head Start Program. This is her second year of teaching.
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She was home a while back and made the comment she wishes she could adolpt a little boy in her class. The little boy has told her that his mother beats him with an extension cord.
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She said the little boy is at the combination Day Care Center and Head Start School from 9:00am till 9:00pm each day. I said I did not understand how the mother could afford this. My granddaughter said the lady pays nothing. The government pays the entire amount.
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I know this is but one incident but it sure seems like Head Start could use a review to make sure it is doing what makes sense for the children.

“I wish more women would choose not to have children of their own and to choose adoption instead.”

That would depend on the nature of the special needs wouldn’t it? It is not unfair for a family with limited resources to want or expect to not stress their lives further than a “normal” child would already stress them is it? Also, a single mom, is hopefully a working mom. Whether or not I have the love to give an excess child with special needs, not everyone has the resources or time to give them the attention they need and deserve. My next door neighbor has a special needs child with sociopathic behavioral disorders. She is a saint! She can’t go back to work given the constant attention she must give him, and fortunate she has a stable family and support network to help her. I cannot imagine what it would be like for a single mother (or father) to have to raise such a child, and adopting a baby when the full scope of the disability is not determined.

am i missing something here or does destor23 not understand the concept of a control-group? what you cite as a flaw in logic is most certainly NOT.

Dear 3xfire3: I wanted to respond before the site cut off the comments or if they decided to censor my remarks. I am so sorry to hear about the child who reported that his mother beats him with an extension cord. Those kind of remarks are made every day at most every Head Start center in the states all over the South (and everywhere else, for that matter). The problem is with the teachers in the class on how they handle these reports. Many of the teachers hush the children and tell them, “You need to leave that business at home. That’s is between you and your momma and I don’t want you to bringing that business to school”. The problem is that these teachers were raised in the same the kids were: “spare the rod spoil the child”. Some of the teachers talk openly to the parents about their views on corporal punishment. When discussing new and creative ways to punish the students, the teacher will say to the parent “We ain’t allowed to hit nobody here at school. If you need to whoop that child, you need to whoop him at home. You ain’t allowed to whoop him here in the building.” If a child says, “My daddy hit my momma this morning. He hit her while she was watching TV and she didn’t know he was gonna do that.” The teacher will say, “Hush, that’s business you need to leave at home. That’s between your dad and your momma and you don’t need to be bringing that business to school.” It’s really terrible how there seems to be ais a culture of covering up and dismissing domestic violence and child abuse in the Head Start schools.

ok first of all mississippiedu there are like 18,000 head start programs in the US and you are judgeing all these 18,000 head start from one, as well as judging all single moms saying they are all the same and just using the government (don’t get me wrong there are PLENTY people abusing the governemt) But we can’t sit there on the computer and judge them all!! Yep that a sin! Well news flash they are not all horibble… at least not up here in the north country. they are very faimly orientated and would never say you leave that ya’ll buisness at home. We personally take an interest in all of the students families! As a future teacher i would never look passed a student if they came to me with a problem as serious as abuse. there you go again judging teachers please stop your nonsense mouth!