Early achievement gains and poverty-linked social distress: The case of post-head start transition

Public policymakers in West Virginia have an intense interest in early and continuing educational intervention for the poor In this view, intervention s such as Head Start ar-e a good idea, but they start too late and end too soon. Properly executed, early and continuing intervention is expected to p rovide a basis for later achievement-driven improvements in occupational an d income attainments. Rural poverty and its correlates, which manifest and cause social distress in a variety of forms, is then diminished. We report on an evaluation of the West Virginia site of a federally-funded program in tended to maintain early achievement gains viewed as crucial irt alleviatin g poverty-linked social distress. Results of the evaluation of Post-Head St art Transition show no achievement gains. This undercuts the polrationale f or the program. Furthermore, it provides no support for a general policy of early and continuing educational intervention to foster achievement-driven diminution of poverty, It seems reasonable to consider the possibility tha t achievement rises and falls in response to the prevalence and intensity o f social distress. Context determines educational outcomes, not the other w ay around. Reasons are suggested for this.