BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- Ohio leads the nation in spending on Head Start, but the fast-growing program may not be adequately preparing disadvantaged children for school, according to a legislative staff report.
State researchers suggest the quality of teaching and curriculum for preschoolers in poverty may have suffered as Gov. George Voinovich and lawmakers pushed to enroll every eligible child in Head Start by the end of the decade.
A draft copy of the report, to be released Thursday by the Legislative Office of Education Oversight and obtained by the Enquirer, has ignited protests from advocates who fear it will embolden critics to propose cuts in Head Start funding.
In response, some lawmakers on a panel that oversees the office tried to prevent researchers from releasing the study unless the conclusions were softened. Researchers refused.
Despite the criticism, legislators and experts in early-childhood education generally agree that more needs to be done to improve Head Start, which has received more than $1.5 billion in federal and state funds since 1990. Head Start programs focus on preparing 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families for school.
"We're trying to figure out whether Head Start is worth the investment," said Rep. Donald Mottley, R-West Carrollton, one of three lawmakers who wanted to delay release of the study. "Common sense tells you it helps kids and families. But the answer is: We still don't know."
Dayton was test
The study tracked 1,230 kindergarten students in the Dayton Public Schools during the 1996-97 school year. Dayton was chosen because it has an urban school system that already tests youngsters as they enter and complete kindergarten.
Researchers found that Head Start pupils did no better on tests designed to measure skills needed to read, write, speak and listen than those whose preschool experiences were unknown. In some cases, Head Start pupils posted lower scores than those who had attended other federally subsidized preschool programs.
"Head Start classrooms are well-organized and caring environments, providing a variety of learning experiences for children," the report states. "Areas of weakness in the Head Start classrooms include less emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving, and language and writing skills."
Funding skyrocketed
Among the study's recommendations: Shifting more money to improve the training of Head Start teachers, establishing sites for model programs and requiring annual reports to the General Assembly on efforts to meet those goals.
Mr. Voinovich has gained national attention for his efforts to boost funding for the program, and he is scheduled to address the Head Start Association's national meeting today at Paramount's Kings Island.
State funding for the program jumped to $146 million in the last two-year state budget, up from $19 million during the two years that ended June 30, 1991.
As funding skyrocketed, Mr. Voinovich and lawmakers crafted state budgets that restricted the way Head Start funds can be spent, placing an emphasis on expanding the programs instead of improving them.
The study's authors noted that Head Start does more than provide preschool education. It also offers parent-education classes, referrals for job training, and programs to ensure kids are immunized and fed well. Those difficult-to-measure attributes weren't analyzed in the report.
Critics challenged the study's research methods.
Jacqui Sensky, Mr. Voinovich's deputy chief of staff, cited two other state studies that showed Head Start students were as well-prepared or better-prepared than their peers.
"We don't disagree with their recommendations, but we have real fundamental problems with the way the study was conducted," Ms. Sensky said.
In a written response, the Ohio Department of Education said, "It saddens us to have good programs that want to improve be tarnished by the results of one study."
Edward Orlett, a former state legislator who represents a coalition of Head Start providers in Ohio, said Head Start's goal is to help youngsters who start out behind their peers. "Even using the flawed data in this latest study, it shows the kids were lifted to at least a level playing field."
Still, the federal General Accounting Office determined last year that no study exists that conclusively measures the impact of Head Start.
Ohio's latest review of the program comes one year after state education researchers cited problems with Head Start, including inadequate facilities, poorly paid staff and the failure of part-time programs to meet the need for full-time care for children of parents moving from welfare to work.
More data due
In response to that report, lawmakers ordered the Education Department to begin a more comprehensive analysis of preschool programs. A study comparing participation in those programs with scores on fourth-grade proficiency tests will first be available in 2003 for the 1998-99 kindergarten class.
Rep. Randy Gardner, a Bowling Green Republican who is chairman of the panel that oversees the education research office, said Head Start deserves more scrutiny.
"Some of the people who criticize this report promote other studies based on some of the same methodology," Mr. Gardner said. "I thought we were in the business of improving things. Nobody should be afraid of that."
