Browsing by Subject "Head Start"
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Item Application of the cumulative risk model in predicting school readiness in Head Start children(2009-05-15) Rodriguez-Escobar, Olga LydiaThis study investigates the degree to which the cumulative risk index predicted school readiness in a Head Start population. In general, the reviewed studies indicated the cumulative risk model was efficacious in predicting adverse developmental outcomes. This study built on this literature by investigating how child, parent, and family risk factors predicted school readiness in Head Start children using two statistical models. Specific aims of this study included identifying 1) to what degree multiple predictors contributed to school readiness and 2) to what degree the cumulative risk index contributed to school readiness. Participants included 176 Head Start children ages 3 to 5 years. Data were analyzed using multivariate regression to determine if the cumulative risk model was a stronger predictor of school readiness than any risk factor in isolation. Hierarchical regression was also utilized to determine if individual risk factors contributed anything above and beyond the sum, the cumulative risk index. Multiple regression analysis revealed that older age and previous enrollment in Head Start predicted higher scores, while low income predicted lower scores, as did taking the test in Spanish. Analysis also revealed that higher scores on the cumulative risk index predicted lower test scores. The analysis revealed that the individual risk factors did not contribute to the model above and beyond the cumulative risk index. Adding the individual risk factors did not account for more variance than using gender, age, and the cumulative risk index as the only predictors. Similarly, the cumulative risk index did not account for more variance than using age and gender as the only predictors. The current study adds empirical support to the continued use of the cumulative risk model in predicting adverse developmental outcomes.Item Effects of Parent Expectations and Involvement on the School Readiness of Children in Head Start(2010-10-12) Cook, Krystal Tisha'There is an achievement gap occurring between ethnic minority children, mostly from low-income homes, and European American children in the United States. The gap between these children is present at school entry. Many children are not prepared for the minimal standards needed to succeed in school and, as a result, the gap widens throughout schooling. School readiness is an important attribute for future success among all children. There are many efforts to close this school readiness gap through early intervention. Head Start is an example of an early intervention program offering educational and social services to low-income families in an effort to promote school readiness among children at-risk for school failure. Early intervention programs, policy, and research acknowledge that advocating parent involvement and empowerment is the foundation for improving children's ability to be successful in school. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between parent variables and school outcomes. Specifically, the focus was to study how parent expectations and parent involvement in home learning and enrichment activities affect the school readiness of children enrolled in Head Start. The study examined how these parent variables were related to children's school readiness, and differences between ethnic groups, gender groups, and level of risk. The study tested a model whereby the effect of parent expectations on school readiness is mediated by parent involvement. The sample consisted of 77 caregivers, primarily mothers or mother figures, and their children who were enrolled in a Head Start preschool program. The caregivers were given experimental measures in addition to questionnaires adapted from standardized measures to assess parent behaviors. Standardized measures were administered to children to assess school readiness. Demographic information and level of risk were gathered using existing data collected during the enrollment process. Results indicated that high parent expectations directly relate to increased school readiness scores. Parent expectations also had a positive direct relationship to parent involvement. However, results did not support that parent involvement in home learning activities served as a mediator of the relationship between parent expectations and school readiness variables. In addition, the analysis of ethnicity, gender, and risk level suggested these variables had no moderation effects on the parent expectations and school readiness relationship or the comprehensive model. Study implications for parent behaviors and school readiness are discussed.Item Is social-emotional development a predictor of school success in Head Start children? A field study(2009-06-02) Team, Rachel MarieSocial-emotional development in preschoolers often functions as a gateway into more advanced social and academic behaviors; social-emotional experiences during the preschool years may enhance or diminish a child?s later adjustment and academic outcome. With the current focus on promoting pre-academic skills in preschool programs, the importance of social-emotional development has been left behind. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requires initial and follow-up screening of academic readiness skills for the Head Start programs. At the same time, much of the research that relates social-emotional development to academic outcome was completed 20 to 30 years ago. This study examined the relation between academic skills and social-emotional development in the beginning and end of one school year. Approximately 150 children ages 3 to 5 years old were assessed in six Head Start centers in different cities in rural Texas. Each student participated in an academic screening within the first 45 days of school and again at the end of the school year. A parent and teacher also completed a rating scale on each student?s social and emotional skills at the beginning of school. The purpose of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of the impact social-emotional development has on the academic progress for preschool-aged children. The overall goal of this study was to determine the extent to which socialemotional development can predict school readiness in Head Start children. The central hypothesis of this study was that social-emotional development can facilitate or impede children?s academic progress. This project was a prospective, repeated measures, singlesample design. The Head Start children who participated in this study were assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. Gain scores were used to measure the growth in academic skills over one school year and compared to initial social-emotional skill level. Results suggest a relationship between adaptive skills and academic gains in one year is evident in Head Start children, which indicates the importance of continuing to provide services and funding for services that go beyond the basic academic tasks. This study found that social-emotional development influences many vital attributes in a child?s growth, including academic success.Item Young minority children’s gains in early math, literacy, and behavior skills : associations with teacher instruction, parent learning support, and parent involvement(2013-05) Ansari, Arya; Gershoff, Elizabeth T.There has been growing interest among parents, teachers, researchers, and policymakers in better understanding children’s school readiness and the precise mechanisms by which early care and education programs promote these early skills. Two key, but understudied, mechanisms include preschool instruction and parenting practices. The present study used the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2006 cohort and examined whether gains in young children’s (n = 2,308) math, literacy, and behavior problems over the Head Start year were predicted by increased stimulation across children’s homes and school using structural equation modeling. Net of all other factors, parent learning support was uniquely associated with lower levels of behavioral problems and greater math achievement. Although there were no direct effects of parent involvement on child outcomes, the effects of parent involvement on children’s math and behavior were mediated through parent learning support. Children also demonstrated reduced problem behaviors when they received greater teacher instruction. However, the observed benefits for math achievement and reduced problem behaviors appear to be stronger when young children receive stimulation across both the home and school contexts. These findings have implications for children’s early problem behaviors and achievement, suggesting that parenting practices and teacher instruction are important avenues that can promote young children’s early skills. For optimal academic and behavioral outcomes, however, greater effort needs to be coordinated across children’s home and school settings.