This project will survey, assess, and catalog literature relevant to Head Start practice, including materials that address the likelihood of implementation fidelity in transporting practices across Head Start settings, and any research-based products (training manuals, curricula, etc) that would be beneficial to the Head Start community. Results from this contract will be used to promote effective Head Start program activities and quality enhancement interventions for Head Start, and as a resource for planning future research activities. The purpose of this research was to collect and inventory applied research focusing on knowledge and practices that are targeted toward improving outcomes for Head Start. The project will evaluate the evidence base for Head Start programming and quality improvements, including information addressing the likelihood of implementation fidelity across Head Start settings; prepare practitioner-oriented papers that assess the quality of evidence about various practices and identify practices with proven effectiveness; and create an on-line resource for the Head Start community that provides access to relevant, practitioner-oriented information through a catalogue and web-based bibliography of evidence-based Head Start program activities, practices and quality enhancement initiatives.

The NAS convened a committee of experts to focus on two key topics in conducting the study and preparing its report:

1. the identification of key outcomes associated with early stages of child development for children 0–5, and
2. the quality and purpose of different state-of-the-art techniques and instruments for developmental assessments. Dissemination efforts included both reports and briefings for agency officials, congressional representatives, as we as practitioners and policy-makers.

This grant program provided funds to support secondary analysis of Head Start data from a number of Federal data sources, including the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project, the Family and Child Experiences Survey (1997 and 2000 cohorts), the National Head Start/ Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study and the Evaluation of the Comprehensive Child Development Program. The goal of this grant program was to utilize existing Federal Head Start data to answer questions related to program characteristics that positively influence outcomes for Head Start children and families. Grantees included SRI International, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Westat, Utah State University, Erikson Institute, New York University, Child Trends, University of Michigan, University of Maryland and Massachusetts General Hospital.