Research Reports and Projects
Head Start has sponsored research through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) to guide program improvement in Head Start and Early Head Start, as well as early childhood programming and development. Dozens of Head Start programs across the country have collaborated with researchers. Their significant contributions have helped in terms of program innovation and evaluation, and the use of systematic data collection, analysis, and interpretation in program operations.
Explore the latest OPRE reports for Head Start and Early Head Start.
Head Start
Recent Reports
- Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation: Final Report
August 2012 [PDF, 3MB | HTML] - Development of a Measure of Family-Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality (FPTRQ)
2010-2015 - FACES of Head Start: Our Children, Our Families, Our Classroom (2009 Cohort)
2012 [PDF, 4MB | HTML] - Getting Ready for Kindergarten: Children's Progress During Head Start - FACES 2009 Child Outcomes Report
June 2013 [PDF, 427KB | HTML] - How Head Start Grantees Set and Use School Readiness Goals – Highlights from a Research Study
Jan. 20, 2015 [PDF, 442KB | HTML] - Putting the Pieces Together: A Logic Model for Coaching in Head Start
January 2014 [PDF, 543KB | HTML] - Study on the Status of Dual Language Learners in Head Start and Early Head Start Programs
2008-2012 - Third Grade Follow-up to the Head Start Impact Study: Final Report
October 2012 [PDF, 3MB | HTML] - >Understanding Data Use for Continuous Quality Improvement in Head Start: Preliminary Findings
April 28, 2015 [PDF, 363KB | HTML]
Featured Projects
- Assessing Early Childhood Teachers' Use of Child Progress Monitoring to Individualize Teaching Practices
2012-2015 - Early Learning Mentor Coach Study (ELMC)
2011–2014 - Evaluation of the Head Start Designation Renewal System (DRS)
2012–2015 - A First Look at the Head Start CARES Demonstration Large-Scale Implementation of Programs to Improve Children's Social-Emotional Competence
- Head Start CARES (Head Start Classroom-based Approaches and Resources for Emotion and Social Skill Promotion)
2007-2013 - Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES)
1997-2013 - Head Start Impact Study and Follow-up
2000-2012 - School Readiness Goals and Head Start Program Functioning
2012-2014 - Use of Technology to Support Head Start Practice
2013-2015
Early Head Start
Recent Reports
- Early Care and Education Partnerships: A Review of the Literature
Dec. 16, 2014 [PDF, 3MB | HTML] - Report to Congress on Dual Language Learners in Head Start and Early Head Start
Programs
April 18, 2013 [PDF, 3MB | HTML] - Resources for Measuring Services and Outcomes in Head Start Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers
Sept. 15, 2011 [PDF, 9MB | HTML] - Study on the Status of Dual Language Learners in Head Start and Early Head Start Programs
2008-2012 - Toddlers in Early Head Start: A Portrait of 2-Year-Olds, Their Families, and the Programs Serving Them
Feb. 19, 2015
Featured Projects
- Development of a Measure of Family-Provider Relationship Quality (FPTRQ)
2010-2015 - Development of a Measure of the Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT)
2010-2014 - Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships Study
2013-2014 - Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Study (Baby FACES)
2007-2014 - Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSRE)
1996-2010 - Early Head Start Research to Practice
2003-Current - Early Head Start University Partnership Grants: Buffering Children from Toxic Stress
2011-2016
Head Start's National Research Conference on Early Childhood supports collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and program and administrative staff. Its goal is to strengthen education for young children. The conference offers the latest best practices and contributes to meaningful research in the early care and education field.
Child Care & Early Education Research Connections promotes high-quality research in child care and early education and the use of research findings in policymaking. The website offers a free, comprehensive, and up-to-date collection of research and data resources for researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and others. Resources include scholarly research, policy briefs, government reports, data, and instruments from a wide range of disciplines and sources. Interactive tools allow users to refine searches, download full text documents, build customized tables, and analyze research data online. Research Connections also compiles bibliographies, develops issue briefs, synthesizes research on key topics, and hosts data-training workshops.
Research Reports and Projects. HHS/ACF/OHS. 2015. English.
Last Reviewed: September 2015
Last Updated: December 22, 2015