Head Start founder speaks to U. audience

Thirty years ago a psychologist named Edward Ziegler wanted to give children from poor families a better chance in life. So, three decades ago, he decided to co-found Head Start, a preschool program designed to enable kids from poor families to get ready for school. It offers classes, health services and family support to children nationwide. Ziegler, currently a Yale psychology professor, spoke to an audience of 85 Tuesday night in Stiteler Hall. He was introduced as one of the half dozen greatest psychologists of this century by Associate Professor of Education Joan Goodman. Ziegler's speech, sponsored by the Graduate School of Education, provided a history of Head Start from its creation as part of President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" campaign to its expansion today under President Bill Clinton's Administration. Ziegler said the program's thoroughness is what makes it so unique. "[Head Start represents] a joining together of empirical knowledge and social intervention," he said. He added that Head Start started as a summer program, which didn't provide enough time to have an effect. "Did they really think they could take a child out of [poverty] and in six or eight weeks do something valuable with him?" he asked the audience members. Ziegler said the program changes the cognitive state of the children. "Poor children are smarter than they appear to be," he said. "We just have to work on improving their motivation structure, trust of others and self-esteem." He added that the main criticism of the program is its lack of long-term effects. But he said he does not believe the program should be blamed for this. "[Children] go to school and there is fade out," he said. "That's the school's fault. Why is that our fault?" Ziegler said that Head Start's goal changed when they discovered that even though the program did lead to improvement, poor children were still achieving less than middle-class children. "Our goal is no longer to raise the IQ of the children," he said. "It is now to create everyday social competence." He said the program suffered a "diminution of quality" during the Ronald Reagan and George Bush Administrations, but added that things should improve under the Clinton Administration. Ziegler is now serving on President Clinton's Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion. He briefly discussed his plans for the future. He said planning is in progress to include a program for children under three. He concluded his speech on an optimistic note. "It's time for us to all roll up our sleeves and make Head Start a successful program for the next 30 years," he said. First year GSE student Beth Berman said she thinks the speech was enlightening, but added that it did not focus enough on the present. "The speech raised many issues, but it didn't give many answers," she said.

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