Education Report Roundup

Head Start Pupils’ Gains Found to Fade

By Mary Ann Zehr — January 19, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Participation in Head Start has positive effects on children’s learning while they are in the program, but most of that advantage disappears by the end of 1st grade, a federal study of Head Start programs says.

A randomized controlled study of nearly 5,000 low-income children released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week shows that a group of children who entered Head Start at age 4 benefited from a year in the program—particularly in learning language and literacy—compared with children of the same age who were eligible for Head Start but didn’t enroll in it. Benefits included learning vocabulary, letter-word recognition, spelling, color identification, and letter naming.

The learning advantages for children who entered Head Start at age 3 were even stronger. By the end of Head Start, that group showed gains in most of the language and learning areas that the 4-year-old group had, but also showed benefits in learning math, prewriting skills, and perceptual motor skills.

However, by the end of 1st grade, the study found, children who had attended Head Start had an edge in only one aspect of learning in comparison with control groups. Children in the Head Start 4-year-old group did significantly better on vocabulary than children in the control group. Head Start participants in the 3-year-old group performed better on oral comprehension than children in the study’s control group.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, whose agency oversees the federal preschool program, said in a statement about the study that for Head Start to achieve its full potential, we must improve its quality and promote high standards across all early-childhood programs.

A version of this article appeared in the January 20, 2010 edition of Education Week as Head Start Pupils’ Gains Found to Fade

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz ICYMI: Trump Moves to Shift Special Ed Oversight And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
Education Quiz ICYMI: Judge Orders Teacher-Prep Grants Restored And Other Trending News This Week
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of the Supreme Court.
iStock/Getty
Education Briefly Stated: March 19, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz How Much Do You Know: Ed. Dept.'s Mass Layoffs and More This Week
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Illustration of 2 hands cutting paper dolls with scissors, representing staffing layoffs.
iStock/Getty