Bush distorting Head Start data trying to dismantle it

UNCOOKING THE BOOKS: HEAD START GRANTEES DID BETTER IN 2001-2002 THAN IN 2000, ACCORDING TO UNPUBLICIZED HHS DATA

Rep. Miller, NHSA Object to Efforts to Twist HHS Monitoring Data "Inside Out"; Positive Findings Distorted to Advance Bush Agenda for Dismantling Program

WASHINGTON, D.C.///March 18, 2004///New Head Start monitoring program data that has not yet been released to the news media by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finds that 89 percent of Head Start grantees across the United States in fiscal year 2002 had no major compliance problems. That was an improvement over the 85 percent of Head Start grantees found to be substantially in compliance in HHS' previous Head Start monitoring report, which covered fiscal year 2000.

For fiscal year 2001, the new HHS monitoring report also found that 86 percent of Head Start grantees had no major compliance problems. Of 591 Head Start grantees scrutinized for 2001, fewer than a dozen (11 or 1.8 percent) either relinquished their grants (9) or had them terminated by HHS (2). No such final data were available for the fiscal year 2002 period.

However, both Capitol Hill and National Head Start Association (NHSA) officials criticized the unpublicized report, which alters the reporting categories used in previous HHS monitoring reports for Head Start programs. The shuffling of the numbers appears to be a clumsy and transparent attempt to invert positive findings about Head Start grantees in order to make them look bad.

Rep. George Miller, who is the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said: "It is alarming that the Bush Administration's political agenda for changing Head Start is influencing its reporting of what is supposed to be an objective monitoring of the Head Start program. The Administration's own results clearly show that the vast majority of Head Start programs are meeting the federal government's high quality standards. But because the Administration is determined to eviscerate those federal standards and allow the program to have standards that vary from state to state, it has chosen to distort the independent findings of its own evaluators. That may be the way this Administration likes to operate - just like when it hid the true cost of the Medicare drug law from Congress and the public. But it is bad for public policy and bad for America's children and families."

NHSA President Sarah Greene said: "When you untangle the numbers, this new report is the latest evidence that the vast majority of Head Start programs are managed properly and producing results exactly as Congress intends. The new data puts the lie to those who have been trying in vain to cook up some kind of a case that there are widespread problems at Head Start programs that need to be fixed. You would be hard pressed to find another federal program where roughly nine out of 10 local projects are on track and producing results as intended. This actually is a huge vote of confidence for how Head Start is operated today. These are the real facts - not unsubstantiated allegations based on isolated anecdotes - and, as usual, the facts speak for themselves."

Greene said that she was "concerned, but not at all surprised" to see that Administration officials at HHS attempted to reorganize the 2001-2002 report data in a way that might cast local grantees in a less favorable light. Whereas the reports for fiscal year 2000 and before had emphasized the number of programs substantially in compliance (e.g., the 85 percent without "deficiencies" in 2000), the new report covering 2001-2002 downplays that number by focusing on the number of programs with "deficiencies" (i.e., 14 percent in 2001 and 11 percent in 2002).

Greene said: "This data is literally twisted inside out. And it is more evidence of HHS trying to shade the facts to make its case for dismantling Head Start. The report categories have been juggled for the first time so that a program with any non-compliance strike whatsoever against it is highlighted, no matter how minor the issue. This over-emphasis on ?'parking tickets' is both new and meaningless since, by definition, not a single one of the non-deficiency compliance matters involves any kind of threat to the health of children or misuse of funds. Instead, we are left with what are often simply ?'bureaucratic oversights,' such as a missing or misfiled form. For the sake of accountability, the real focus has to remain where it always has been: meaningful deficiencies. By that light, Head Start grantees actually did better in 2001 and 2002."

Though not a major focus of earlier Head Start progress reports, the routine non-serious compliance issues were found at Head Start grantees in 2001-2002 at levels consistent with earlier years: 74 percent in 2001 and 80 percent in 2002. Further, the report indicates that 94 percent of Head Start grantee compliance concerns of any kind (including the more serious "deficiencies") in 2001 were resolved within 12 months, including 62 percent of problems that were squared away in just four months. No such final data were available for the fiscal year 2002 period.

Greene also said: "We are delighted by this very clear confirmation that Head Start grantees are doing great work today. The National Head Start Association is fully committed to the highest possible standards of accountability. We believe that the tiny handful of ?'bad apples' among Head Start grantees need to be vigorously weeded out so that there can be every assurance that this program is serving children properly. The good news is that the system is working: The data show that the vast majority of programs are doing a fine job and that the very few programs with chronic problems are being identified and replaced."

The continuing strong performance by Head Start grantees in 2001-2002 came about even though tougher standards were imposed starting in fiscal year 2001 to analyze patterns of progress for children. The Program Review Instrument for Systems Monitoring (PRISM) data were used "to better reflect child outcomes and to capture information on grantee systems and implementation of the new requirements," according to the Head Start bureau report.

CONTACT: Christine Kraly, (703) 276-3258 or [email protected].

EDITOR'S NOTE: A copy of the unreleased HHS report, "Report to Congress on Head Start Monitoring, Fiscal Years 2001 and 2002," is available by contacting (703) 276-3258 or [email protected]. The executive summary is available via email as a PDF file and the full text will be provided via hand/overnight delivery.