August 17, 2011

Turns Out Head Start's as Bad as It Always Was

By Michael Kimmitt
While dining out with my wife some time ago, I found myself waxing poetic about the latest government offense: the folly of dumping additional billions of dollars into the ancient Head Start program, naturally as part of the President Obama's voluminous economic stimulus plan.  Studies have revealed, I explained, that children who participated in this 46-year-old multi-multi-multi-billion-dollar "educational" program exhibit no better academic achievement than do children from the same socioeconomic background who did not make use of Head Start. A lady from a nearby table approached, telling me she had overheard my comment and, as a teacher, could testify to the program's many merits, although they might not be measurable. I admitted that it had been a while since I had read about the performance of Head Start, promised to look again, and offered to stand corrected if I were wrong in my opinion.  It was a very civilized exchange.  (Truth be told, I kept my cool because...(Read Full Article)