Design Options for the Assessment of Head Start Quality Enhancements

Head Start, the largest federally funded preschool program, provides comprehensive services to economically disadvantaged children and their families so that children can enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school. Performance standards include requirements for the intensity and quality of a broad range of services for children and families. This report discusses design options for potential future evaluations of Head Start quality enhancements. It describes the goals and activities associated with each of the three stages of research through the use of specific examples of potential Head Start Quality enhancements.