Re-Examining the Head Start Impact Study

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Application of meta-analytic methods to multi-site randomized controlled trials in educational interventions

Abstract

A growing body of evidence suggests that the immediate effects of early interventions fade shortly after the program’s conclusion (Authors, 2017). In response, researchers have begun to investigate the mechanisms behind this fadeout and whether specific features of interventions or outcomes moderate their persistence (Authors, 2023). Building on this work, we explore center-level variation in the implementation of Head Start. While studies of the federally funded initiative have found mixed long-term results (e.g., Deming, 2009; Garces et al., 2002; Pages et al., 2020), growing evidence suggests that outcomes may depend on contextual differences across centers. Prior work (Bloom & Weiland, 2015; Kline & Walters, 2016) has documented substantial variation in Head Start impacts by center, demographic subgroup (e.g., gender), and participant background (e.g., children likely to stay home without an offer, or those with low pretest scores). We extend these explorations by assessing center-level variation in Head Start’s longer-term effects, and the center-level conditions that predict impact persistence or fadeout.

Authors

• Caroline Botvin, Columbia University

• Emma Hart, Boston College

• Drew Bailey, University of California - Irvine

• Tyler Watts, Teachers College, Columbia University