Comments on: Change we need: Responding responsibly to the results of the Head Start Impact Study

By: Why Head Start should be improved, not defunded | investinginkids

Why Head Start should be improved, not defunded | investinginkids — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:19:22 +0000

[...] at the end of first grade. The control group is able to catch up with the treatment group by making somewhat faster progress in kindergarten and first [...]

By: A response to commonly-expressed concerns about preschool | investinginkids

A response to commonly-expressed concerns about preschool | investinginkids — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:15:06 +0000

[...] On the first issue, there is very rigorous evidence with excellent comparison groups of short-term effectiveness of many state pre-k programs in affecting kindergarten readiness. These studies use an evaluation technique called “regression discontinuity”, which is generally regarded as being as unbiased as random assignment experimentation, although with a bit more statistical noise in it. The intuitive idea here is that we give the same test to entering preschoolers and entering kindergartners, and then compare two kids who are similar age, but one is just old enough to have participated in the preschool program last year, that is they just “made the age cut-off”, whereas the other kid is starting preschool this year because they “just missed” the age cutoff last year. These studies show large effects of some state pre-k programs on kindergarten readiness in terms of test scores, in many cases much larger effects than are found on average for Head Start. [...]

By: If public investment in pre-k is needed, who should be doing the investing? | investinginkids

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:21:40 +0000

[...] addition, the argument has been made that as currently designed and operated, many state pre-k programs seem to produce better results than the average Head Start program. (It should be noted that Head Start programs differ widely in quality, and many are high-quality. [...]

By: Faith

Faith — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:27:34 +0000

Vilma,
Thanks so much for your comment. I’ve been trying to bring parents of preschoolers on board for UPK and the experiences and testimony of K-3 teachers, like you, is invaluable. This is especially true since ECE seems to be the new target of conservatives looking for budget cuts. They are starting to flood the media with false “common sense” arguments against childcare and preschool funding and it’s SO helpful to have folks like you speaking up!

By: Vilma Ayala

Vilma Ayala — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:01:11 +0000

As a Kindergarten teacher with a HeadStart School next to our public elementary school, I noticed an outstanding academic difference in my incoming Kindergarteners who attended Pre-school this past school year (2009-10)! Amazingly quite a few students started the year with quite a bit of beneficial retention of skills. But, above all, these students began Kindergarten with some letter sound recognition which set the stage in my classroom for accelerated learning in Reading and later Writing. 100% of my 24 students, along with two who moved out of town, ended the year reading at 1st-3rd Grade level or above. Last school year, my students had similar success. Every school year preceding this one had the gradual success that had led to this one. According to the research by Maria Montessori decades ago, it is documented that 4-5 year olds are capable of reading and writing. Their highest potential for learning occurs up to the tender age of 6. I inform my parents of this phenomena, and they team up with their children and me in providing the best possible academic program. These are the results we achieve year after year, especially with the prior help of our HeadStart and other Pre-schools. Way to to!

By: Faith Morgan

Faith Morgan — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:06:50 +0000

Wow-wow-wow, Headstarto…”knowwhere,” (?) you clearly know nothing about childcare. There is SO much inaccuracy in your post that it frightens me that you appear to be so sure of yourself. A Teacher is qualified or not-qualified and is hired EXACTLY on that basis, whereas, in any program (private or public), an *assistant teacher* is usually an entry-level position that is filled, in ANY program, by the least/not qualified people and receives the least compensation. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, in public or private programs, these people are just passing through and do not stay in these positions. It is AGAINST the LAW to consider a woman’s status as a mother or head of household in hiring decisions. (GEEEZ!) Certainly, as a part of its mandate, HS tries to employ parents who are interested in the field of ECE but NO program hires people with criminal records unless there are some extraordinary circumstances ( e.g. was 16 and arrested for spray painting now is 21 and in college). These positions keep these mothers off of TAFDC–that’s “welfare” to folks like you– while they learn parenting best-practices (you know, so YOU don’t have to pay DCF to open a case file on them or for the schools to give them special education). At the same time, they attend classes or job-training programs to reach a level of self-sufficiency where they no longer require state assistance. Good grief! If you are going to be so passionate about something you should at least have the first clue what you are talking about.

By: headstarttoknowwhere

headstarttoknowwhere — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:35:38 +0000

The Head Start agency has been acting more as an employment agency rather than as a high quality preschool. Head Start tends to place their hiring preferences on demographics and welfare status rather than on educational qualifications. The human resources department of the various Head Start agencies tend to give preference to the single welfare mothers who live in the neighborhood of the school. If a woman is on welfare, is a single mother, has only a high school diploma, and has had children enrolled in Head Start previously; she is much more likely to be offered a Teaching Assistant position rather than someone with a college degree in elementary or early childhood education. If an applicant is middle class, lives away from the Projects, and has a degree in Elementary Education; this individual would not be as likely to be hired. This middle class applicant would have a hard time identifying with the parents of the Head Start kids. The agency would rather hire a woman who is from the same poverty stricken neighborhood who has the same struggles with dead-beat baby daddy’s, bad credit, and the other issues common to a life defined by poverty. Head Start has had the reputation of trying to give these single welfare moms an opportunity that they would not qualify for in the private sector. A private sector high-quality preschool would normally not hire a single mother who possibly has no car, has an arrest record, has a bad credit history, has no assistance from the birth father, and her children are highly dependent on her and her alone. Head Start gives these women the opportunity of a lifetime to be a full time Teaching Assistant with insurance and other benefits. On top of that, the vacation and sick leave are extremely generous. These Teaching Assistants may be out on sick leave 4-8 hours of every 40 hour work week due to their children’s illnesses, children being expelled from school, doctor’s appointments, and a myriad of other responsibilities. The private sector quality preschools can’t run their businesses if they choose to employ someone who is so unreliable. That is why they choose to hire only properly qualified staff. Sure, there are plenty of employment opportunities in unlicensed daycare centers who would be happy to give these women an opportunity to be a Daycare Worker. Unfortunately, many of these struggling daycare centers can’t offer a straight 8-4PM job with good pay, beautiful well-equipt well-supplied classrooms, health insurance, and a generous package of sick leave and vacation time. It’s the Head Start agency that offers them such a sweet deal at their lovely, well-equipt schools.

By: bridgetokindergarten

bridgetokindergarten — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 11:58:36 +0000

I agree with you that NAEYC should focus more on accrediting teachers and less time on accrediting centers. There are plenty of Head Start centers that have NAEYC accreditation, but the centers are staffed with underqualified teachers. Many of the long-term Head Start teachers are reluctant to change their fundamental “old fashioned” strict teaching styles in favor of more progressive positive-guidance methods. Many of these women only have their high school diplomas and they teach the children the way they learned from their own mothers. Some of these women are very harsh and controlling and they scare the children into doing what they want them to do. some of these “old fashioned” teachers will say things like, “We ain’t playin’ no more. It’s time to LEARN.” or, “That ain’t nothin’ but scribble scrabble!!!!”. I’ve heard some teachers say to a shy hispanic three year old child, “Why ain’t you participating in the song, child? You need to open your mouth and par-tic-i-pate!!!” I’ve heard Head Start teachers try to get a ESL hispanic child to sing in English in large group even though the child is very uncomfortable. The teacher will try to scare the child into participating by singling them out in front of the class! If the teacher was educationally qualified, well versed in positive guidance techniques, and has implemented the Creative Curriculum effectively, some of these problems would be eliminated. Well, I’m on a soap box now, so I’ll stop writing. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to add my opinion on the subject.

By: bridgetokindergarten

bridgetokindergarten — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:46:50 +0000

I am in complete agreement with your idea about Head Start teachers earning their BA degrees in early childhood education or child development. Many of the Head Start teachers are currently pursuing their associate degees in child development technology or early childhood education technology. The problem with these programs is that many are dumbed down to such a level that the Head Start teachers aren’t required to learn much in their technical courses. The technical courses won’t have any real tests or quizzes, the term papers aren’t authenticated for validity, and homework completion is optional. These women will take remedial college English and will struggle terribly with the coursework. After making it throughthat course they’ll take a biology class with no lab and will struggle through that. The remedial college math classes will throw many of these women for a loop so that they’ll have to drop the class and repeat it. Many of these women who teach in Head Start wouldn’t be able to make it through a BS or BA program. They are only qualified to work in unlicensed day care settings. Many of these Head Start teachers aren’t qualified academically to earn a degree in anything except a diploma mill program or a terribly dumbed-down community college program.

By: bridgetokindergarten

bridgetokindergarten — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:37:34 +0000

It’s about time Head Start began to recruit highly qualified teachers. Currently, many of the Head Start teachers only have their high school diplomas or GED’s. Quite a few are working little by little toward their associate degree in Child Development or Early Childhood Education Technology. The Lead Teachers are required to complete their associate degree coursework by 2013. Wouldn’t you think that if Head Start had chosen to hire only well-qualified teaching staff ten-fifteen years ago then things would be different right now? Perhaps if Head Start had chosen to staff their classrooms with properly trained teachers then the outcome of this impact study would have been more encouraging.