Even Start Funding Controversy-2006

What is all the fuss about funding Even Start programs? As one might suspect, the argument lies in the lack of conclusive evidence for effectiveness. Since first funded in 1989, programs have not been able to demonstrate that integrating adult education, parent education, early childhood education, and a focus on interactive literacy activities are able to increase learning outcomes.

You can read more about the debate in the 2006 report, Even Start: The Funding Controversy, from the Congressional Research Service.

The third national evaluation of Even Start programs found that parents did not participate long enough to receive enough instruction to affect learning outcomes and recommended efforts to improve the quality and content of language instruction in addition to efforts to improve evaluation.

From my perspective, one of the flaws in the assessment of Even Start programs are the measures of success. One measure is the increase in interactive literacy hours. However, while time on a task has been shown, or is believed, to be an effective predictor of content/skill success (Fisher & Berliner 1985; Brophy, 1988), the amount of time spent on a developing literacy, I posit, will vary in effectiveness depending on the age of the child and the quality of the activity. Consider, if you are not fulling comprehending the time spent on a tast, are you learning???

I also argue that the ability of the parent to comprehend the significance of interactive literacy activities will be a predictor of continued application. Programs also do not often have the resources to follow up with families. Surely, the efforts of establishing life-long learning habits of interactive literacy will have a long-term effect if they are internalized and reproduced continuously even after the intervention and any subsequent follow-ups.

I agree with supporters that the need to offer family literacy programs to disadvantaged is too important to cut funding. I also agree that more efforts need to be made to offer technical support and identify and promote best practices in model programs. However, the true measure of the success of the program will come with a better measure of learning outcomes.
This is my 2 cents.

Please call your Sentator and Congressperson and tell them you believe that building life-long literacy skills will give disadvantaged families the opportunity to break the cycles of poverty. Tell them to fund Even Start!


Brophy, J. E. (1988). Educating teachers about managing classrooms and students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 4, 1, 3.

Fisher, C. W., & Berliner, D. C. (Eds.). (1985). Perspectives on instructional time. New York: Longman.