Austin Head Start

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Austin Head Start
Preliminary Findings from a two year
investigation of Austin Head Start Crista
Wheeler Yale University
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Vocabulary Performance

• Indicator
• Vocabulary Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test

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Vocabulary Comparisons
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Vocabulary Findings by Teachers Skills
Teachers relationship skills refer to positive
teacher/child interactions based on the Arnett
Scale of Caregiver Interaction Additionally,
teachers who scored highly on the Arnett also
tended to have high marks on the Early Childhood
Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) in terms of
positive use of language in the classroom
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Social Performance

• Indicators
• Social Skills Social Skills Rating System
  (SSRS)
• good peer relationships (cooperates, makes
  friends easily, shares, etc.)
• good teacher/child relationships (follows
  directions, follows classroom rules, helps
  without being asked)
• Problem Behaviors Social Skills Rating System
  (SSRS)
• aggressive behavior toward people and/or
  objects, temper tantrums, arguing
• acting sad or depressed
• high anxiety
• The importance of these indicators comes from
  attachment theory, which deems these skills
  necessary for success in school and eventual
  success in life

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Social Skills Comparisons
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Problem Behavior Comparisons
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Social Findings by Teachers Skills
These numbers represent an average of the Social
Skills and Problem Behavior scores
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School Readiness Performance

• Indicator is a composite average of
• Vocabulary Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
• Early Literacy WJ-R Letter-Word Identification
• Early Numeracy WJ-R Applied Problems
• Prewriting Skills WJ-R Dictation
• Social Skills Social Skills Rating System
• Problem Behaviors Social Skills Rating System

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School Readiness Comparisons
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Additional Findings
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Vocabulary
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Early Literacy
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Early Numeracy
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Prewriting Skills
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Social Skills
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Problem Behaviors
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Conclusions

• Austin Head Starters are ready for school as
  shown by their performance on a number of
  assessments encompassing early literacy, early
  numeracy, prewriting skills, vocabulary, and
  social skills
• Additionally, those children who attended Head
  Start for two years versus one actually reached
  the national norm and were as ready to enter
  school as their same-age peers, regardless of
  socioeconomic status
• Research indicates that those children who begin
  school ready to learn enjoy increased success in
  school in terms of of higher academic
  achievement, good peer relations, and pro-social
  behavior