The Head Start Impact Study

The Head Start Impact Study is arguably among the most impactful nationwide ECE studies. The study was designed to provide information in two main areas. The first area is providing an assessment to determine the school readiness of children participating in the program and, secondly, determining under which conditions Head Start is most effective. The general impact of the study would then inform how the program impacts a child's cognitive development, general knowledge, and approaches to learning among a myriad of developmental areas (Puma et al., 2012).

The above objectives relate to ECE purpose, identity, and the responsibility of ECE professionals in several ways. First, ECE aims to provide strategies that help children develop the emotional, social, and cognitive skills needed to become lifelong learners. Through the Head Start impact study, existing approaches to child development were critically analyzed to determine their effectiveness.

Identity in ECE relates to a child's ability to learn and engage effectively with their world. The Head Start Impact study analyzed the general learning process, including the learning environment and its direct impact on social aspects of learning. As a result of the study, ECE professionals have a body of knowledge that impacts strategies that impact how children interact within the ECE learning environment.

The third area of interest is the impact of professionalism in ECE; through the second goal of the Head Start Impact Study, the conditions that best serve ECE interests were examined. The conditions include quality indicators such as staff ratio, curriculum, and staff development. From the study, professionals within the field benefited from program suggestions that would impact their professional development in an attempt to ensure that professionals acquire the skill liquidity necessary to deal with the diverse needs of the ECE field and to be able to develop appropriate learning activities for various ECE groups.

According to the above post:

1. How well did you peer relate the study to the purpose, identity, and responsibilities of our profession moving forward?
2. What else could they have added to further support these goals?
3. Share examples to support your ideas.