Early Childhood Research and Evaluation
Project 1:
National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
Project Summary
Goal of this center is to develop evidence-based best practices for Early Head Start and Head Start programs across the country, as part of a comprehensive Office of Head Start Training and Technical Assistance System. The aim is to support family well-being, effective family and community engagement, and children’s school readiness, including transitions to kindergarten.
Project 2:
Effects of Implicit Bias on Children’s Early Outcomes
Project Summary
The purpose of this Goal 1 Exploratory Projects is to examine the impact of implicit bias on teacher expectations, teacher-child interactions, and preschool-aged children’s outcomes using a sample of 80 community-based preschool classrooms.
Project 3:
Exploring the Link Between Culturally Responsive Practices and Black and Latinx Student Outcomes
Project Summary
This supplemental study provides preliminary information on whether culturally responsive practices are predictive of racially marginalized children's outcomes and whether teacher factors, such as partnership with families, are related to culturally responsive practices. Videos from the OLOS study will be coded with an equity-focused coding rubric.
Areas of Work:
This study falls under the categories of Early Care and Education & Pre-K Education as well as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Staff:
Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D.
Principle Investigator
Laura J. Kuhn, Ph.D.
Advanced Research Scientist
Project 4:
Educare School-Family Partnership Justice Project
Project Summary
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of implicit bias on family engagement specialists’ communication and relationship with parents in Educare schools using a sample of 30 family engagement specialists and 120 families.
Three Specific Project Goals:
1
Determine associations between family engagement specialists’ beliefs and attitudes on their interactions and relationships with families.
2
Examine how family engagement specialists’ beliefs and attitudes are linked to parents’ behaviors and children’s outcomes.
3
Conduct a landscape analysis of programming and resources focused on strengthening family engagement specialists’ positive beliefs and attitudes towards parents and strengthening the parent-FES relationship.
Funding:
Areas of Work:
This study falls under the categories of Early Care and Education & Pre-K Education as well as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Staff:
Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D.
Principle Investigator
Laura J. Kuhn, Ph.D.
Advanced Research Scientist
Adis Liy, MEd
Research Coordinator