1.
I am
thinking of focusing my research paper on one of the following area: Head Start Outcomes or the Special Education
Service Delivery process. What do you
think are the current issues related to these topics?
I interviewed the Assistant Director for
Children’s Services at Vistas Nuevas Head Start. The current issues that they are being faced with
in the Head Start Program are of course, the outcomes and expectations of what
experiences children should have in the Head Start Program. Currently we are facing an era where any
compliant program can compete for a non-compliant Head Start centers and/or
programs. In the state of Michigan the
Department of Health Human Services of the City of Detroit which is the Grantee
for the Detroit area Head Start agencies has lost the contract. Therefore, the Detroit Head Start contract is
up for grabs for anyone who has a viable proposal. Another issue related to this area is that
the Child Outcomes have been revised.
There were originally 8 domains and 27 indicators which were revised to
11 domains with 37 indicators. One of
the new domains is directed towards English Language Learners and does not
affect all children the other two domains involve logic and reasoning and social
studies knowledge. This has placed our
agency in a dilemma because during a recent federal audit we were mandated to
use the new domains as soon as possible.
We complied with the directive and the grantee rejected our data and
demanded that we suspend collecting the data until they directed us to do
so. We are anticipating a follow up
audit and do not have any guidance or clarification as to whether they will be
looking for this data. I asked her about
the disability services process and she referred me to the Disability
Specialist for current issues in the disability content area and time did not
permit me to complete and interview because she was meeting with Local
Education Authority or the (LEA).
2.
What other issues do you commonly encounter in
your work or in discussions with colleagues?
We generally encounter salary concerns for
teaching staff due to staff credentials or lack of such credentials due to
changes in the requirements. Plans for
professional development to assist teaching staff in meeting the 2013 mandates
are in the works. We are currently
offering Child Development Associate (CDA) classes to prepare candidates for
testing to receive the credential. We are
also assisting staff in paying for their education with Training and Technical
Support (T/TA) funds. One of the areas
that we are working on in our professional development trainings is conveying
to teaching staff that incorporating data collection is not added or additional
work but it is a natural process that assists them in knowing what children
know as well as what they need to provide opportunities for children to
learn.
3.
What advocacy efforts are currently under way in
your area of interest?
The advocacy efforts that are currently
under way in Child Outcomes is the pending legislation in Congress for improving
school readiness and positive, sustained Child Outcomes for not only Head Start
children but on a larger scale to improve education for all children from birth
to 8 years of age.
4.
Some insights that I gained from this experience
is that per the Assistant Director, it is very important for advocates or
anyone interested in the Head Start program to go on the Head Start websites
and view or listen to the webinars which clearly identify everything that she
discussed with me in the interview, but goes much more in depth as to the
legislation and actions being taken. In
trying to understand the importance of the reauthorization of the Head Start
program and its effects on at-risk children.
Further, advocates should frequently email or write legislators about
their concerns, feelings or complaints.
5.
The interview was very informative and
encouraging as I finalize my topic for my research paper because it gave me
insight on the availability of information for my research. The more I asked questions, the more interested
I became and thirsty for more information.
Therefore, I have decided to do further investigation on the subject of
Child Outcomes of Head Start children.
Three related topics that I have an interest in are Child Outcomes as it
relates to Special Needs Children, Child Outcomes as it relates to English
Language Learners and the Special Education Service Delivery process.
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