Longer-Term Effects of Head Start
Longer-Term Effects of Head Start
Author: Eliana Garces
Author: Duncan Thomas
Author: Janet Currie
Abstract: Specially collected data on adults in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are used to provide evidence on the longer-term effects of Head Start, an early intervention program for poor preschool-age children. Whites who attended Head Start are, relative to their siblings who did not, significantly more likely to complete high school, attend college, and possibly have higher earnings in their early twenties. African-Americans who participated in Head Start are less likely to have been booked or charged with a crime. There is some evidence of positive spillovers from older Head Start children to their younger siblings. (JEL J24, I38)
Date: 2002/09
URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/00028280260344560
Volume: 92
Pages: 999-1012
Publication: American Economic Review
Issue: 4
Reading Notes:
Objective: To use data from the PSID to study the effect of Head Start on high school graduation rates, college attendance, earnings, and criminal activity
Importance: Little is known about the long-term effects of Head Start, since the effect on test scores declines over time
Background: Head Start began as a summer program with 561,000 kids but expanded into a full year program by 1997 and today serves 800,000 children
Three other preschool programs have show long term effects on children, but those were better funded programs than Head Start
Data & Key Variables: 4000 adults from the PSID that reported preschool information - attendance of Head Start, attendance of another preschool, race & other background characterstics
Outcomes: high school graduation, college attendance, earnings, booked/charged with a crime
Methodology: Mother fixed effects to control for unobservable background characteristics. Impact is identified from siblings that received different choices of preschool, either Head Start for one sibling and another preschool for the other or none for the other
Results: Head Start lead to higher high school graduation rates and college attendance for white kids and decreased crime rates for Black kids.
Key Table/Figure:
