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Introduction and Study Objectives
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, collect new data, and explore research
needs for American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start programs. The goal
of the project is to develop research responsive to the needs of American
Indian-Alaska Native Head Start programs-research that takes into account
(1) 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.
The Head Start Bureau provides funding directly to Tribes.
Currently, 153 grantees in 27 states serve over 25,000 American Indian
and Alaska Native children. To date, American Indian and Alaska Native
children have not always been the direct beneficiaries of knowledge
that has been gained through research. Very little evidence has been
systematically gathered from Head Start programs that serve American
Indian and Alaska Native children, often because the population is small
and has not been included in major Head Start research projects.
To begin addressing this absence of research, this project
will synthesize existing information, collect data through site visits
to and interviews with 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:
- What are the research needs of American Indian and
Alaskan Native programs?
- What issues should be considered in conducting research
in American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs?
- How can the Administration for Children and Families
support partnerships among researchers and American Indian-Alaska
Native Head Start programs?
- To what extent are the instruments, measures, and procedures
currently used to assess child outcomes culturally appropriate?
- What technical assistance would be helpful for program
staff in terms of conducting developmental screenings and assessing
child outcomes?
- How can the Head Start monitoring process be strengthened
to provide the most benefit to Head Start programs serving American
Indians and Alaska Natives?
Project Team
For more information, contact:
ACF, CORE Staff
Mary Bruce Webb, Ph.D.
Senior Research Analyst
Child Outcomes Research and Evaluation, OPRE
Administration for Children and Families
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
7th Floor West
Washington, DC 20447
Phone: 202-205-8628 / 202-205-3598
E-mail: mbwebb@acf.hhs.gov
Carole Kuhns, RN, Ph.D
Child Outcomes Research and Evaluation, OPRE
Administration for Children and Families
Department of Health & Human Services
330 C Street, Room 2119
Washington, DC 20447
Phone 202-205-8272
E-mail: ckuhns@acf.hhs.gov
ORC Macro
Ellen L. Marks
Project Director
ORC Macro
11785 Beltsville Drive
Calverton, MD 20705
Phone: 301-572-0485
E-mail: marks@macroint.com
Dissemination Plan
The project will result in several reports that together
will provide a framework to further a research agenda that meets the
needs of American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start Programs. The following
reports will be available on this Web site in the Summer of 2002.
Inventory of
Screening and Assessment Tools:
An inventory is being created that will list the processes or tools
each AI-AN Head Start grantee currently uses for (1) screening children
and (2) assessing their progress through the program.
Research Synthesis:
To identify knowledge about serving American Indian and Alaska Native
children, a synthesis of extant research will be prepared that incorporates
both published and unpublished literature. Topics addressed in the synthesis
include learning styles of American Indian and Alaska Native children,
components of their educational experiences (language acquisition, curriculum
development, parent involvement, and teacher training), the use of assessment
to determine children's progress, and research methods.
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This page was last updated on
Sunday, 07 Nov 2004 08:49:34 EST
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