In addition to providing services to children and families, Head Start sees one of its roles as a national laboratory for child development. Evaluation of Past Research

In 1997, we reported the results of our work on identifying what existing studies suggest about Head Start’s impact. The current initiatives HHS describes as assessing impact include (1) the development of new performance measures, (2) a longitudinal study called FACES, and (3) a collaborative effort with NCES. assess the net impact of the Head Start program. Another HHS initiative, FACES, is a study of a representative sample of Head Start children and their families intended to show whether Head Start is reaching its goal of improving children’s social competence. Improvement on Initiatives

Head Start’s initiatives are headed in the right direction because of their increased focus on outcomes and research that could be expanded to compare outcomes for children in Head Start with those for similar children and families not served by the program. suggested that Head Start conduct randomized trials to study regular Head Start programs because this type of study provides the most conclusive information on program impact. HHS is taking steps that may help lay the groundwork for efforts to evaluate the net impact of Head Start program services. HHS efforts, however, do not include plans for a research study or set of studies that will definitively compare the outcomes achieved by Head Start children and their families with those achieved by similar non-Head Start children and families.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO discussed Head Start's impact on children and their families, and the adequacy of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) current research plans to provide additional information on Head Start's impact.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) the Head Start program has provided comprehensive services to millions of low-income children and their families; (2) little is known, however, about whether the program has achieved its goals; (3) although an extensive body of literature exists on Head Start, only a small part of that involves program impact research; (4) because of these research studies' individual and collective limitations, this body of research is insufficient for use in drawing conclusions about the impact of the national program; (5) HHS has the following initiatives it describes as impact assessments: (a) development of performance measures focusing on program outcomes, rather than just processes; (b) a national longitudinal study of a representative sample of Head Start children and their families; and (c) a collaborative effort with the National Center for Educational Statistics; (6) these efforts are headed in the right direction for Head Start to evaluate the impact of its program; and (7) it is unclear, however, whether these efforts will meaningfully compare the outcomes achieved by Head Start children and their families with those achieved by non-Head Start children and families, leaving unanswered questions about Head Start's impact.