Family and Child Experiences Survey: Data to Inform Policy

• In Event: Data for Decisions: Family and Child Experiences Survey as a Model of Policy-Driven and Policy-Guiding Research

Abstract

The Office of Head Start manages a multi-tiered system of data to document and improve the performance of more than 1700 local Head Start and Early Head Start agencies. Local programs submit descriptive data on Head Start children, families, staff members, program services and outcomes on an annual basis via the Program Information Report. Periodic federal on-site monitoring reviews generate data on program compliance with Program Performance Standards. Nationwide administration of the CLASS assessment tool provides standardized data on the quality of teacher and child interactions and instructional practices. The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) provides periodic standardized assessment data on the performance of a nationally representative sample of Head Start programs, including measures of the quality of classrooms, teacher and child interactions and pre- and post-measures of children’s learning and development in key areas of language, literacy, mathematics and social-emotional development. Since its inception in 1997, FACES has reported on 5 cohorts of children and families and the programs that serve them, providing the opportunity to study trends over time in program quality and impacts on children and families. FACES uses assessment tools that are also used in other research and evaluation studies of publicly-funded early care and education programs making it possible to compare findings across studies and for different types of programs. Findings from FACES studies are valued by policymakers, in part due to these common metrics, as well as the fact that data are collected by well-trained research teams. Thus, the FACES initiative complements Head Start’s other systems of performance data, which provide feedback on each and every local Head Start program.

As Head Start continues to operate as a relatively unique federal-to-local program initiative, expectations continue to grow for it to demonstrate accountability to federal, state and local public officials and taxpayers, both in the form of credible evidence of quality service, sound fiscal management and outcomes for children – and as a management system that improves program performance over time. FACES should be designed to continue to play a pivotal role within Head Start’s overall system of data-driven accountability and program improvement.

Author

• Thomas Schultz, The Pew Charitable Trusts