United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-04-15 monographic deposited born digital 60 p. GA 1.13:HEHS-97-59 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59 P0b002ee18039cc23 f:he97059 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59 HEHS-97-59 Education program evaluation Preschool education Compensatory education Disadvantaged persons Preschoolers Cost effectiveness analysis Aid for education Head Start Program Basic Educational Skills Program Early Head Start Program HHS Comprehensive Child Development Program Letter Report HEHS D281674 Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the impact of the current Head Start Program, focusing on what: (1) the studies conducted on current Head Start programs suggest about Head Start's impact; and (2) types of Head Start studies are planned by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).<p/>GAO noted that: (1) although an extensive body of literature exists on Head Start, only a small part of this literature is program impact research; (2) this body of research is inadequate for use in drawing conclusions about the impact of the national program in any area in which Head Start provides services such as school readiness or health-related services; (3) not only is the total number of studies small, but most of the studies focus on cognitive outcomes, leaving such areas as nutrition and health-related outcomes almost completely unevaluated; (4) individually, the studies suffer to some extent from methodological and design weaknesses, such as noncomparability of comparison groups, which call into question the usefulness of their individual findings; (5) in addition, no single study used a nationally representative sample so that findings could be generalized to the national program; (6) failing to find impact information in existing research, GAO examined HHS' research plans for Head Start; (7) planned research will focus on new or innovative service delivery strategies and demonstrations but will provide little information on the impact of regular Head Start programs; (8) HHS' planned research includes descriptive studies, studies of program variations, involving new and innovative service delivery strategies and demonstration projects, and studies of program quality; (9) HHS officials, in explaining the agency's research emphasis, stated that early research has proven Head Start's impact; (10) such research, however, conducted over 20 years ago, may no longer apply to today's program because of program changes and changes in the population served; (11) HHS also noted some ethical and methodological difficulties of conducting impact research, especially studies that would produce national estimates of program effect; (12) but neither ethical nor methodological issues present an insurmountable deterrent to conducting research on Head Start's impact; and (13) moreover, the size and cost of the program appear to warrant an investment in such research. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59/html/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59/pdf/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59.pdf GAO/HEHS-97-59 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-59 Letter Report GAO/HEHS-97-59; Head Start: Research Provides Little Information on Impact of Current Program; Education program evaluation Preschool education Compensatory education Disadvantaged persons Preschoolers Cost effectiveness analysis Aid for education Head Start Program Basic Educational Skills Program Early Head Start Program HHS Comprehensive Child Development Program