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| Columbia University | Quality Counts, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Using Assessment to Improve School Readiness and Head Start Program Quality | Individualized Learning Intervention: A Structured Mentoring Program for Head Start Teachers |
| Target Area: Child, Class, and Center Assessments | Target Area: Professional Development/Mentor & Protégé Teachers |
| In partnership with two Head Start programs in Connecticut, Columbia implemented a three-tiered, child-sensitive observational assessment system. The intervention involved training Head Start staff to observe and assess children, classrooms, and programs; interpret and share results with parents, teachers, and staff; and collectively make improvements based on assessment results. The goal was to equip staff with a proven system of assessments which would allow them to critically examine their own work and empower them to improve program quality and school readiness for Head Start children. | Quality Counts evaluated the effectiveness of the Individualized Learning Intervention with three Head Start partners. The QRC worked with each partner to implement a mentoring system within the agency. Mentor training focused on the development of trusting relationships with protégés, communication and leadership skills, and the use of formative evaluation. Mentors supported the protégés' ability to individualize children's learning experiences based on developmental assessments. Mentor teachers met with protégé teachers throughout the Head Start year. |
| Initial Results: Positive change occurred within each of the three tiers, such that intervention participants reported significant improvements in program climate, classroom quality, and child outcomes. | Initial Results: When fall to spring gains in treatment and control proteges' classrooms were examined, the difference in group effect sizes favored the treatment group on 16 of the 29 child outcome measures. |
For more information contact: Sharon Lynn Kagan Rachel Razza |
For more information contact: Martha Abbott-Shim Rich Lambert |
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