CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Head Start and Academic Performance A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Public Administration, Public Sector Management and Leadership By Cicily Williams August 2018 The graduate project Cicily Williams is approved: ___________________________________ _______________ Dr. Mylon Winn Date ____________________________________ ________________ Dr. Rhonda Franklin Date ____________________________________ _________________ Dr. Henrik Minassians, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii Table of Contents Signature Page ii Abstract iv Introduction 1 Literature Review 2 Methodology 9 Background 10 References 14 iii Abstract Head Start and Academic Performance By Cicily Williams Masters of Public Administration, Public Sector Management and Leadership Research indicates that children learn best when their parents are involved and supporting their learning therefore promoting children’s social success (Crosnoe, Leventhal, Wirth, Pierce, & Pianta, 2010). Head Start programs were established in order to design a comprehensive program to help young low-income children (Gormley Jr, Phillips, Adelstein & Shaw 2010). The signing of Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 raised educational attainment levels, narrowed educational inequalities, and supported the goal put in place for children living in low-income families. Efforts are being made to promote Head Start programs to children living in low-income families due to a significant increases of their chances of starting well-behind their advantaged peers. In the pursuit to bridge this gap, Head Start creates an environment where parents and teachers can be involved in the impact of early education. iv Introduction In President ‘s 1964 State of the Union address, he announced his effort to not only relieve the symptoms of poverty but cure it and prevent it from taken place (Matthews, 2014). As part of the War on Poverty, President Johnson aligned the following four major pieces, The Social Security Amendments of 1965, The Food Stamp Act of 1964, The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and The Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965 was associated with the four major pieces of President Johnson legislation to escape poverty and develop a form of equality (Matthews, 2014). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 opened the window for Head Start programs to reach the goal to improve school readiness of low-income children (Puma et al., 2012). Low-income children usually enter school below more advantaged children academically-related domains such as vocabulary, literacy-related skills, cognition, and social-emotional and regulatory functioning (Love, Chazan-Cohen & Raikes, 2013). Head Start is designed to reduce the gaps in school readiness between low-income children and children with more of an advantage to the educational system (Love et al., 2013). 1 Literature Review President Johnson 1964 State of the Union speech illuminated the best way to break the cycle of poverty was through education (Johnson, 1964). Based upon the urgent concern to break the cycle of poverty, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) got on the agenda to support Head Start. Head Start is designed as a comprehensive program with objectives in the fields of health, social service, and education for low-income children (Gormley Jr. et al, 2010). The signed legislation raised educational attainment levels, narrowed educational inequalities, and supported the goal to increase access to early childhood education for low-income children (Bitler & Hoyes & Domina, 2014). Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 permitted Head Start to pursue the goal to improve the social competences of low-income children and assist with handling their present environment along with the responsibilities they will encounter in school and life (Start, 1997). The signing of Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) allowed federal aid to primary and secondary education (Paul, 2016). Head Start is a federal funded program which provides a broad range of early childhood development services for low-income children since 1965 (Butler & Gish, 2003). The implementation of Head Start addresses the concern of low-income children having less cognitive and linguistic stimulus than children in higher-income families (Love, et al., 2013). Head Start also provides services to include child development, preventive medical care, nutritious meals, health, education, and social activities to 2 prepare low-income children entering kindergarten (Garces, et al. 2002; Butler & Gish, 2003). Head Start programs are locally designed and managed by system of 1,500 public and private nonprofit agencies (Butler & Gish, 2003). Head Start funds are distributed directly to independent local agencies instead of through the states (Bitler & Gish, 2003; Henry & Gordon & Rickman, 2006). Head Start federally funded early childhood education program was developed to decrease socioeconomic disparities in school readiness with low-income children (Bierman, et al., 2008). In 1965, Head Start launched in the summer serving over 560,000 children with an annual federal operating budget close to $7 billion. (Bitler, et al., 2014). By 1966 Congress authorized Head Start as a part day nine-month program (Butler & Gish, 2003). By the 1970s, Head Start became an all-year program to serve low-income children (Garces, Thomas & Currie, 2002). With Head Start being one of the largest public early education programs, they continue to revise the policy in order to ensure the program provides low-income children an opportunity for a positive future through learning the skills needed to contend early and often (Smith, 2012; Butler & Gish, 2003). In the 1990s, Congress passed the Head Start Expansion and Quality Improvement Act in order to reauthorize Head Start and set funds aside for programs to strengthen the quality of service being provided. This reauthorization permitted major program quality improvements, established performance standards, and employed more qualified teachers (Henry, Gordon & Rickman, 2006). Each reauthorization from 1994-2007 with the Head Start policy, was intended to expand 3 the expenditures and increase the amount of low-income children to receive services from the Head Start program (Henry, Gordon & Rickman, 2006; Smith, Butler & Gish, 2003). Despite the reauthorization of Head Start to improve the quality of service being provided, policy makers continue to evaluate the long term impact of the program (Butler & Gish, 2003). Studies during the 1980s and early 1990’s show significate short-term gains and benefits of low-income children attending Head Start, but no substantial evidence of the long-term impact (Start, 1997). However, these studies were not able to conclusively confirm the reason behind the long-term impact results (Start, 1997). Researcher continue to explore if the decline is based upon poor quality of the schooling received after attending Head Start or the child’s Head Start experience (Butler & Gish, 2003). Recent studies have found the difference in children’s environment during the early years of education may have a linkage to school age outcomes (Love, et al., 2013). The quality of the program also has substantial part in the experience low-income children receive when attending Head Start (Ludwig & Phillips, 2007). Despite the difference in studies being administrated, results show being exposed to education early is the most promising periods of investment in low-income children (Bitler, Hoyes & Domina, 2014). Early educational attainment through Head Start generates the probability of positive academic fulfillment (Campbell & Ramey, 1994). Head Start is configured as an early intervention program to enrich the learning environment of children in low-income families that provide less opportunity for informal learning (Burger, 2010). Head Start is structured to promote higher levels of early 4 vocabulary, reading, mathematics, and academic success in elementary and middle school are associated comprehensive preschool interventions programs (Yoshikawa, Weiland & Brooks-Gunn, 2016). Children living in low-income communities significantly increased the possibility of them being well behind their advantaged peers in school (Bierman et al., 2008). This disadvantage would occur due to low-income children typically starting school without social-emotional maturity, which obstructs their rate of progress once in school (Campbell & Von Stauffenberg, 2008). Children living in low-income families significantly increases their chances of starting well-behind their advantaged peers, efforts are made to reduce this gap by promoting early education through Head Start (Bierman et al., 2008). Head Start attempts to prepare children to meet academic grade level performance through school readiness. School readiness allows children to develop literacy and numeracy skills earlier as a precursor to development of being able to achieve higher reading and writing skills (Bierman et al. 2008). In 1998, Congress understood the reauthorization of Head Start policy needed to place a stronger emphasis on the educational function of the program and the result in low-income children performance (Butler & Gish, 2003). Understanding academic skills are cumulative, Head Start has shown to be valuable based upon research learning trajectories in elementary