Northwestern University researchers have published a study on Head Start’s impact on parents’ educational achievement. Researchers Terri Sabol and Lindsay Chase-Lansdale used data from the Head Start Impact Study to ask: “If children are randomly assigned to Head Start, do their parents advance their own education?” The results are encouraging for parents, especially African American parents and for parents who have some post-secondary education but no degree. It shows the potential of Head Start as a two-generation intervention, helping both the kids and their moms. According to Chase-Lansdale, “This study illustrates great potential for Head Start programs to be a platform for expanding parents’ own education opportunities.”

Dave Edie