Working Paper: NBER ID: w17452
Authors: Chloe Gibbs; Jens Ludwig; Douglas L. Miller
Abstract: Head Start is a federal early childhood intervention designed to reduce disparities in preschool outcomes. The first randomized experimental study of Head Start, the National Head Start Impact Study (NHSIS), found impacts on academic outcomes of .15 to .3 standard deviations measured at the end of the program year, although the estimated impacts were no longer significant when measured at the end of kindergarten or first grade. Assessments that Head Start is ineffective based on the NHSIS results are in our view premature, given our currently limited understanding of how and why early childhood education improves long-term life chances. Many of the specific changes to Head Start that have been proposed could potentially wind up doing more harm than good.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I21; I38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| academic outcomes (I21) | fade-out of effects (Y60) |
| Head Start participation (I21) | long-term benefits (J32) |
| initial test score gains (C90) | long-term outcomes (I12) |
| Head Start participation (I21) | high school graduation rates (I21) |
| Head Start funding increase (I28) | educational attainment (I21) |
| Head Start participation (I21) | academic outcomes (I21) |