| Valerie Lee
University of Michigan
Where do Head Start attendees end up? One reason why preschool effects are not sustained
FINAL REPORT:
This study investigates the relationship between the quality of schools subsequently attended by young adolescents and their preschool experience. In particular, the study differentiates the characteristics of middle-grade schools attended by 8th grade students who earlier experienced Head Start, other preschools, or did not attend preschool. School quality is defined broadly, in terms of social composition, academic rigor, safety, and social relations. After taking into account family background and demographics, the study concludes that former Head Start attendees are being educated in schools of significantly lower quality than their 8th-grade counterparts who did not attend preschool, and particularly compared to peers who attended other preschools. No matter how beneficial the Head Start experience was initially for its young participants, such benefits are likely to be structurally undermined if these students are thereafter exposed to schooling of systematically lower quality.
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