It was a bit of a shock to many last year when a major study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found little or no academic benefit to children who took part in the federally funded Head Start program.
Head Start is geared to 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families. Total federal spending on Head Start since it started in 1965 is now approaching $200 billion, and many people have just assumed it must be working well. But judging from the findings of the massive study, Head Start appears to be one more example of well-intended but wasteful federal spending.
The study looked at everything from academics to social development to health, and it simply didn’t find lasting benefits.
In fact, it found that any positive effects from Head Start had virtually disappeared by the end of the students’ first-grade year.
And yet, the United States strangely continues to spend about $10 billion per year on Head Start. Do you think that’s wise?