§9844. Research, demonstrations, and evaluation

(a) In general

(1) Requirement; general purposes

The Secretary shall carry out a continuing program of research, demonstration, and evaluation activities, in order to-

(A) foster continuous improvement in the quality of the Head Start programs under this subchapter and in their effectiveness in enabling participating children and their families to succeed in school and otherwise; and

(B) use the Head Start programs to develop, test, and disseminate new ideas and approaches for addressing the needs of low-income preschool children (including children with disabilities) and their families and communities (including demonstrations of innovative noncenter-based program models such as home-based and mobile programs), and otherwise to further the purposes of this subchapter.

(2) Plan

The Secretary shall develop, and periodically update, a plan governing the research, demonstration, and evaluation activities under this section.

(b) Conduct of research, demonstration, and evaluation activities

The Secretary, in order to conduct research, demonstration, and evaluation activities under this section-

(1) may carry out such activities directly, or through grants to, or contracts or cooperative agreements with, public or private entities;

(2) shall, to the extent appropriate, undertake such activities in collaboration with other Federal agencies, and with non-Federal agencies, conducting similar activities;

(3) shall ensure that evaluation of activities in a specific program or project is conducted by persons not directly involved in the operation of such program or project;

(4) may require Head Start agencies to provide for independent evaluations;

(5) may approve, in appropriate cases, community-based cooperative research and evaluation efforts to enable Head Start programs to collaborate with qualified researchers not directly involved in program administration or operation; and

(6) may collaborate with organizations with expertise in inclusive educational strategies for preschoolers with disabilities.

(c) Consultation and collaboration

In carrying out activities under this section, the Secretary shall-

(1) consult with-

(A) individuals from relevant academic disciplines;

(B) individuals who are involved in the operation of Head Start programs and individuals who are involved in the operation of other child and family service programs; and

(C) individuals from other Federal agencies, and individuals from organizations, involved with children and families, ensuring that the individuals described in this subparagraph reflect the multicultural nature of the children and families served by the Head Start programs and the multidisciplinary nature of the Head Start programs;

(2) whenever feasible and appropriate, obtain the views of persons participating in and served by programs and projects assisted under this subchapter with respect to activities under this section; and

(3) establish, to the extent appropriate, working relationships with the faculties of institutions of higher education, as defined in section 1141(a) of title 20, located in the area in which any evaluation under this section is being conducted, unless there is no such institution of higher education willing and able to participate in such evaluation.

(d) Specific objectives

The research, demonstration, and evaluation activities under this subchapter shall include components designed to-

(1) permit ongoing assessment of the quality and effectiveness of the programs under this subchapter;

(2) contribute to developing knowledge concerning factors associated with the quality and effectiveness of Head Start programs and in identifying ways in which services provided under this subchapter may be improved;

(3) assist in developing knowledge concerning the factors that promote or inhibit healthy development and effective functioning of children and their families both during and following participation in a Head Start program;

(4) permit comparisons of children and families participating in Head Start programs with children and families receiving other child care, early childhood education, or child development services and with other appropriate control groups;

(5) contribute to understanding the characteristics and needs of population groups eligible for services provided under this subchapter and the impact of such services on the individuals served and the communities in which such services are provided;

(6) provide for disseminating and promoting the use of the findings from such research, demonstration, and evaluation activities; and

(7) promote exploration of areas in which knowledge is insufficient, and that will otherwise contribute to fulfilling the purposes of this subchapter.

(e) Longitudinal studies

In developing priorities for research, demonstration, and evaluation activities under this section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to longitudinal studies that-

(1) examine the developmental progress of children and their families both during and following participation in a Head Start program, including the examination of factors that contribute to or detract from such progress;

(2) examine factors related to improving the quality of the Head Start programs and the preparation the programs provide for children and their families to function effectively in schools and other settings in the years following participation in such a program; and

(3) as appropriate, permit comparison of children and families participating in Head Start programs with children and families receiving other child care, early childhood education, or child development services, and with other appropriate control groups.

(f) Ownership of results

The Secretary shall take necessary steps to ensure that all studies, reports, proposals, and data produced or developed with Federal funds under this subchapter shall become the property of the United States.

( Pub. L. 97–35, title VI, §649, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 505 ; Pub. L. 98–558, title I, §107, Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2880 ; Pub. L. 101–501, title I, §117(a), Nov. 3, 1990, 104 Stat. 1233 ; Pub. L. 103–252, title I, §116, May 18, 1994, 108 Stat. 646 .)

Amendments

1994-Pub. L. 103–252 substituted "Research, demonstrations, and evaluation" for "Research, demonstration, pilot projects, studies, and reports" in section catchline and amended text generally, substituting provisions requiring Secretary to conduct a research, demonstration, and evaluation program to continually improve Head Start programs and develop innovative ways to further purposes of this subchapter, consult with others on the program, consider longitudinal studies in developing priorities for program, and ensure all products of program become United States property and defining objectives of program, for provisions authorizing the Secretary to provide financial assistance through contracts and grants for research, demonstration or pilot projects to develop new approaches to further purposes of this subchapter, directing Secretary to establish plan for approval of such projects, restricting combination of funds appropriated under this subchapter with other appropriations to make a single grant, requiring Secretary to conduct study of approaches to provide early, continuous, and comprehensive intervention to low-income or at-risk children and study of family day care in compliance with performance standards and to report results of studies to Congress.

1990-Pub. L. 101–501, §117(a)(1), substituted "Research, demonstration, pilot projects, studies, and reports" for "Research, demonstration, and pilot projects" in section catchline.

Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 101–501, §117(a)(2), added subsecs. (d) to (f).

1984-Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–558 added subsec. (c).

Effective Date of 1994 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 103–252 effective May 18, 1994, but not applicable to Head Start agencies and other recipients of financial assistance under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) until Oct. 1, 1994, see section 127 of Pub. L. 103–252, set out as a note under section 9832 of this title.

Effective Date of 1990 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 101–501 effective Oct. 1, 1990, see section 1001(a) of Pub. L. 101–501, set out as a note under section 8621 of this title.

Study of Full-Day and Full-Year Head Start Programs

Section 126 of Pub. L. 103–252 provided that:

"(a) Study.-The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct a study of the extent to which Head Start programs are addressing the need for Head Start services during a full working day or full calendar year among eligible low-income families with preschool children.

"(b) Report.-The Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to the Committee on Education and Labor [now Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities] of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate not later than January 31, 1997, containing the results of the study, including-

"(1) the number of eligible children in need of full-day or full-year Head Start programs;

"(2) the number of full-day, full-year Head Start programs and the number of children served in such program and those provided full-day or full-year services through cooperative arrangements with other funding sources;

"(3) a description of promising models currently employed by Head Start programs for meeting such needs both directly and through arrangements with other service providers;

"(4) a description of the barriers to meeting the need for full-day, full-year care among such families; and

"(5) recommendations on how the barriers could be eliminated in order to meet the needs of children and families served."

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 9834, 9846 of this title.