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: Ailis Aaron, (703) 276-3265
or aaaron@hastingsgroup.com.
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 ckraly@hastingsgroup.com. The executive
summary is available via email as a PDF file and the full
text will be provided via hand/overnight delivery.
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