Effects of the head start program in the USA as indicators of ethnic inequalities

Abstract

The article explores the effects of the US American early education program Head Start on ethnic minority children in comparison to the effects on White-American children. The results prove: Long-term effects exist for White-American children whereas only short-term effects exist for ethnic minority children. This discrepancy is discussed by applying concepts of social limits of learning and of the achievement gap in the analysis of the reliability of the results and causes within and beyond Head Start. An analysis of the effects using a set of indicators as a measure for integration leads to the result that Head Start has not sustainable contributed to the integration of ethnic minorities in the USA. Concluding, possible ways of reducing the fading of effects on ethnic minorities and increasing the contribution of the program to minority integration are suggested.