Who would think that a story of 25 years of bureaucratic struggle
could be so interesting? Perhaps it's because the struggle is over
Head Start, the preschool program born of the ideals of the War on
Poverty and the activism of the civil-rights movement. Zigler
(Psychology/Yale; Project Head Start-co-ed., 1979) was there at the
beginning as a member of the Head Start planning committee and
later as director of the Office of Child Development, which shaped
Head Start. Coauthor Muenchow wrote a 1980 report on Head Start
with Zigler and is now executive director of the Florida Children's
Forum. Their story is one of shifting alliances, dedicated civil
servants, political strategy, surprising heroes (Utah's Sen. Orrin
Hatch), unsuspected villains (Vice-President Walter Mondale), and a
community of parents and teachers who slowly gathered strength and
political sophistication until President Bush recently asked
Congress for a $600 million increase in Head Start's budget. What
sets Head Start apart from other preschool programs that serve
disadvantaged communities is its health-check program - entering
four- and five-year-olds receive medical and dental assessments and
have their immunizations brought up to date-and its insistence on
direct parental involvement in the program. Although evaluation
efforts have been problematical - even Zigler suggests that the
improved health of the Head Start children rather than the enriched
curriculum may be responsible for their improved performance in
school - Head Start is both a real and a perceived success. Still
fighting to upgrade the program, the authors offer a final chapter
advocating how Head Start can be modified (by increasing salaries
and social and health services) and even expanded (by opening the
program to younger children) to support suggested welfare reforms.
A case study in how determination, dedication, and a good cause can
bring about social and educational innovation. (Kirkus Reviews)
Everybody likes Head Start. The only clear-cut victory of the War
on Poverty, it enjoys bipartisan support and is seen as a linchpin
in the Clinton administration's plans to reinvigorate our
educational system. Now, one of the founders of Head Start reveals
the program's tumultuous history and suggests how it can be
improved to ensure that our schools benefit all our children.
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