Description:
Georgetown University will compare the effects of the Community Action Project Head Start program to those of the Tulsa Public Schools universal pre-K (UPK) program in Tulsa, Oklahoma on low-income Hispanic English Language Learner (ELL) children's socio-emotional adjustment at school entry. The study will also examine program effects on low-income English-speaking Black and White children. In addition, researchers will seek to identify factors (aspects of the classroom and teacher characteristics) in Head Start and UPK that predict low-income children's social competence. Teachers assessed children's socio-emotional adjustment in the fall of the kindergarten year using the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention and the Self-Regulation subscale of the Instrumental Competence Scale for Young Children. Classroom quality and instructional time allocation in Head Start and UPK were measured using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System and the Child Engagement section of the Emerging Academics Snapshot. Information on teacher characteristics was collected via a teacher questionnaire, the Ideas about Raising Children survey, and teachers' undergraduate transcripts. Results of the study are expected to expand the research base on the effects of early childhood education programs on low-income children's social development and inform policy debates about the types of programs and aspects of the classroom that best prepare Hispanic and ELL children for school.
Resource Type:
Administration for Children and Families/OPRE Projects
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