Real Solutions for Real People -- Education, Part I

Part of President Obama's spending plan includes $2.2 billion more for Head Start programs. Citing studies that show Head Start helps close the learning gap for children from low-income families, educators and politicans tout the program as a progressive way to improve educational opportunities for minorities and level the academic playing field.

Head Start began in 1964 as part of President Johnson's Great Society program. Although it has been around for nearly half a century, the program -- which last year had a federal budget of nearly $7 billion -- has made little dent in graduation rates, test scores and college attendance for low-income children. In fact, high school drop-out rates are actually increasing.

Why?

What the educators and politicians don't tell you is that the same studies have shown that the progress Head Start students achieve disappears by the time they reach junior high school. In fact, other national education programs -- like Jobs for America's Graduates, a program for high school students at risk of dropping out -- have found the biggest barrier to a kid's academic achievement is a parent who didn't graduate.

In other words, family values are more of a determining factor in a child's education than any multibillion dollar federal program.

So perhaps we've been approaching this problem backwards. Rather than pouring more and more money into Head Start, we should put that money into adult education programs in an effort to educate the parents and help them become the role models their children will follow.