REPLY TO BARNETT AND CURRIE

From its earliest days in the 1960s, Head Start has been engulfed in a debate about whether it “works. ” To an extent, so has this exchange. But that obscures the real question: What is the most effective way to narrow the achievement gap between poor and more affluent children, and among African American, Latino, and white children? Let’s start at the beginning. Most experts agree that parents and family are the most important factor in child development. If they provide the needed physical care, emotional nurturance, and cognitive stimulation, most children will do fine. Unfortunately, many parents (especially low-income parents) are unable to do so, and remedial programs designed to improve parenting skills have had only limited success. Hence, the interest in early education programs—like Head Start—that seek to “compensate ” for what children do not get at home. For many years, Head Start was the only large program that provided early educa-tion services, so it was natural to focus on the question: “Does Head Start work?” Now, however, there are two major alternatives that must be considered: (1) full-time