Quotes are taken from a message written by Ron to Charles on 07/27/96...
RM>RM>It's the same guess that leads some to say that if the
RM>RM>others totally catch up, why are we throwing money away?
RM>RM>That's what's confusing me; did we accomplish anything or
RM>RM>not?
RM>
RM>CB>Sounds like you want to make a "political" judgment.  Go for it.
RM>
RM>Whoa!  Don't get defensive here, Chuck; I'm not making ANY
RM>judgment, I'm simply asking questions...
I wasn't defensive, just thought I read into your (first) quote above 
that you wanted to draw a conclusion but were holding back for some reason.
RM>You're telling me, essentially, that by fourth grade there is 
RM>absolutely no difference between headstarted and non-headstarted students.
No - I'm telling you that there's no statistically significant 
difference as measured by the reading and math tests.
RM>MY reaction to that is confusion, first of all... How did
RM>those other kids catch up?
The school readiness skills taught to the Head Start children at age 4 
no longer hold much relevance for fourth and fifth grade students?  I 
have not read anything regarding speculation as to whether non-Head 
Start kids simply catch up by virtue of 3 or 4 years in school, or if 
the Head Start kids lose the advantage and stop gaining as fast.  What 
appears to be significant to ME is that it does appear possible to make 
a difference in the educational success of disadvantaged children for a 
3 or 4 year period of time by providing opportunities above and beyond 
what is offered in school.  I think a "booster" program for these kids, 
offered during the summer between 3rd and 4th grade, would be worth 
experimenting with.
RM> My second reaction is, how do I answer a critic who asks: "Why are 
RM>we doing this if it has no noticeable impact"?  You want to make this 
RM>person's comment "political", as if that makes it irrational or
RM>un-American, or something?
No, I didn't intend to make the discussion political - the question you 
posed forms the basis for the differing political positions of Democrats 
and Republicans on the issue at the national level.  You read WAY too 
much into my words (I said nothing about irrational or un-American 
comments - only you did) - I only suggested that YOU wanted to make a 
political statement.  Re-read some of the words in your (first) quote 
above "...why are we throwing money away?" and get a sense of where you 
were headed.  You COULD have asked the question, "...is there a better 
way to spend these funds?"  or you could have asked, "...is the program 
accomplishing what we want it to?", but you did not - you chose words 
that were intended to raise the emotional and/or political level of the 
conversation.  Your words are not nearly as neutral as you'd like to 
believe .
RM>I realize that we're on different political wavelengths, but I don't 
RM>see that question as being an unreasonable one.  I'm all for programs
RM>that work, but I'm not sure, based on what you've told me,
RM>that this one does?  BTW, prior to this discussion, I was
RM>inclined to favor headstart, and, as I say, I'm STILL
RM>confused as to how this result can happen; it doesn't make
RM>sense to me?  Are you in favor of the program?  Why; what
RM>do you see as the benefit?
I support the program because of my continuing belief that we can do no 
more for disadvantaged families than to educate their children well.  
Anything that gives those children an advantage gives them an 
opportunity to escape a life of poverty and crime.  About 7 or 8 years 
ago our school district began a summer school program for elementary 
kids.  It has expanded to cover grades 1 through 4 now and instead of 
repeating children we now summer-school them.  Small classes (12 or 
fewer kids) with both a teacher and an assistant work to sharpen the 
kids' reading and math skills.  The teachers make home visits and send 
projects home for the parents and kids to do together.  The district has 
found that the advantage for the participating children lasts for 2 or 3 
years - then it fades, just as does the Head Start advantage.
We also have adopted Reading Recovery programs in our elementary school 
and that, too, seems to help bring children back to grade level reading 
skills for a year or two.  By continuing to provide intervention for 
kids who struggle in school, we can reach far more of them than we can 
by just failing the kids to punish them - a tactic that seldom works for 
young kids.
Chuck Beams
Fidonet - 1:2608/70
cbeams@future.dreamscape.com
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