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THE AMERICAN INDIAN-ALASKA NATIVE HEAD START RESEARCH AND OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT
The Head Start Bureau is assisting local programs in improving their assessment of child outcomes and program assessment efforts by providing guidance, resource materials, and training and technical assistance. The National Head Start Child Development Institute held in December 2000 included presentations and materials on screening and ongoing assessment of children and strategies to link assessment and program intervention. The Head Start Bureau has developed and disseminated publications on innovative and exemplary practices in screening and assessment and on ways local programs can use assessment information to improve program quality and effectiveness.
New legislative provisions also require that program monitoring procedures include a review and assessment of program effectiveness using results-based performance measures. To ensure compliance with the new regulation, the Head Start Bureau developed a new outcome-based program assessment monitoring system (PRISM) and began using it in October 2000. Federal staff and review teams work in partnership with local program staff to conduct PRISM reviews in a holistic, systems-based approach. In addition, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is conducting several national evaluation studies, as noted above, to track and analyze connections between program quality and outcomes.
American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start programs need to be included in the Head Start Bureau’s efforts to improve accountability by strengthening screening and assessment of child outcomes and program monitoring. Such activities, however, must be conducted in a manner that takes into account the unique cultural values of tribes implementing Head Start programs. Although tribal Head Start programs have the same requirements for assessing program outcomes as other Head Start programs, little is known about current practices in assessing children’s progress at the program level among tribal Head Start programs. For example, are the instruments, measures, and procedures being used to assess child outcomes in tribal Head Start programs culturally appropriate?
Current national research and evaluation activities of Head Start described above typically exclude tribal programs from the population eligible for inclusion in the samples, in part because of methodological issues raised by the inclusion of tribal programs, and in part because legislative mandates have specifically excluded tribal programs from certain national Head Start research and evaluation activities (Sec. 649, Head Start Authorization Act, October 27, 1998). At the same time, legislative provisions require the study of Head Start programs for American Indian and Alaska Native children. To meet this requirement, it is necessary to study American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start programs in a separate effort from other national research and evaluation studies of Head Start programs. Cultural issues must be addressed in the development of methodologies, sampling procedures, and data collection instruments for use in conducting research among tribal Head Start programs. Differences among American Indian and Alaska Native groups must be acknowledged and respected in developing the methodology and conducting the research.
Most importantly, tribal communities must have a significant voice in how the research is designed and conducted. To support the development and implementation of research within and by tribal communities, ACF needs to collect information on the research needs and priorities of tribal Head Start programs. Little is known about the kinds of research studies currently being conducted by tribal Head Start programs, experiences of tribal programs in research partnerships with colleges and universities, and ways that ACF might support these partnerships.
In 2001, the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, began a two-year initiative to review existing information and explore research needs for American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start programs.5 The goal of the project is to develop research responsive to the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs—research that (1) takes into account the unique cultural environments and values of these populations and (2) provides information that programs can use to improve services provided to children and families.
To begin addressing the gaps in research, the ACF initiative will synthesize research findings; collect information through listening sessions with tribal leaders, elders, parents, and staff from American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs; and consult with experts in early childhood education for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The project will address the following questions:
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What are the research priorities and needs of American Indian and Alaska Native programs?
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What issues should be considered in conducting research in American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs?
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How can ACF support partnerships between researchers and American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start programs?
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To what extent are culturally appropriate instruments, measures, and procedures available to assess child outcomes?
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What technical assistance would be helpful for program staff in terms of conducting developmental screenings and assessing child outcomes?
Findings from the work will produce directions for developing scientifically valid information that can be used to address matters of consequence for American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start programs, particularly with regard to identifying effective procedures and practices for enhancing child development and promoting school readiness.
5Although a majority of United States residents who identify themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native reside in urban areas (Forquera, 2001), the vast majority of AI-AN Head Start programs are located in more rural, reservation-based settings. Because the emphasis of this project is on Head Start programs, this synthesis focuses on early childhood education for American Indians and Alaska Natives outside of urban areas. (back)
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