Head Start Earns an F: No Lasting Impact for Children by First Grade

Recently released results from the Head Start Impact Study indicate that the benefits of participating in Head Start almost completely disappear by first grade. While other studies have previously assessed Head Start's effectiveness, this is the only study that used a rigorous experimental design. Given this strongly negative eval- uation, Congress should reconsider spending more than $9 billion per year on a program that produces few pos- itive lasting effects. Furthermore, instead of creating yet another new federal preschool program at a cost of $8 bil- lion, Congress and the Obama Administration should focus on terminating, consolidating, and reforming existing pre- school and child care programs to better serve children's needs and to improve efficiency for taxpayers.