Appendix A.1_RQ Table Wave 1

Survey of Head Start Grantees on
Training and Technical Assistance

APPENDIX A.1

RESEARCH QUESTIONS, CONSTRUCTS, MEASURES, AND SECTION/ITEM NUMBER:

Head Start Director Survey (Wave 1)

Head Start Director Survey (Wave 1): Research Questions, Constructs, Measures, Section/Item Number, and Source

Below we present information for each of the research questions addressed by the Head Start Director Survey, Wave 1. We list the constructs measured by the survey items, the stem and number of the survey items (in the measures column), and the source of the items. We also highlight any survey items that are intended to collect information that will provide contextual information about grantees and/or potentially serve as covariates in the analyses.

Research Question 1. With respect to research question 1, the survey seeks to understand how various features of the T/TA resources available to grantees contribute to grantees’ selection of T/TA. Information about grantees’ preferences, constraints and decisions concerning which T/TA to use from the universe of choices available to them will inform OHS about gaps in the resources produced by ACF or gaps in the dissemination of these resources.

Research Question 1: How are Head Start grantees selecting their training and technical assistance (T/TA)?

Sub-Questions	Constructs	Measures	Section and Item Number	Source
1.a. What T/TA needs do Head Start grantees identify and meet from available resources?	How agency assesses T/TA needs	In general, how does your Head Start program assess its training and/or technical assistance needs?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 5	Project-developed
	Type(s) of staff responsible for implementing T/TA plan	After your Head Start program’s training and/or technical assistance plan is developed, who is usually responsible for implementing the plan?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 6	Project-developed
	Frequency of updating T/TA plan	In a typical year, how often do you update your Head Start program’s training and/or technical assistance plan?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 7	Adapted from FACES 2014-2018: Head Start Program Director and Center Director Survey (H5)
	Types of T/TA plans prepared	Which of the following types of training and/or technical assistance plan does your Head Start program usually prepare?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 8	Project-developed
	Program activities supported by OHS T/TA funds	What program activities are supported by discretionary OHS training and/or technical assistance funds (e.g., P20, PA21, PA 25)?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 13	Adapted from FACES 2014-2018: Head Start Program Director and Center Director Survey (B27)
1.b. What types of T/TA are helpful to grantees?	Usefulness of OHS information dissemination strategies	How useful are the following types of communications from OHS for you and your staff to learn about best practices, about program requirements and how to meet your program goals?	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 28	Project-developed
	Extent OHS T/TA was helpful	To what extent has any training and/or technical assistance from the OHS T/TA system helped your organization?	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 29	Adapted from FACES 2014-2018: Head Start Program Director Survey (B10a)
	Suggestions for improving T/TA services provided by OHS	In general, what suggestions do you have for improving OHS T/TA services?	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 30	Project-developed
1.c. What types of T/TA contribute to capacity-building efforts?	Types of program goals (last year)	In the last program year, for which of the following areas did you have Head Start program goals? Please select the three areas to which you gave priority (on which you spent the most time working.	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 20	Project-developed
	Organizational capacity, relative to program goals (last year)	You identified [XXX] as an area in which you had program goals in the last program year. Which of the following is true of your Head Start program, relative to the goals in this area?	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 21	Project-developed
	Training and technical assistance providers that helped program meet goal (last year)	In the last program year, what training and technical assistance providers, if any, helped your Head Start program make progress in meeting the [XXX] goal?	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 22	Adapted from FACES 2014-2018: Head Start Program Director Survey (B10a)
	Challenges to achieving key program goals	In the last program year, which of the following challenges hindered your efforts to achieve your Head Start program’s key goals? Please select the top three challenges you faced in the last program year.	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 23	Adapted from FACES 2014-2018: Head Start Program Director Survey (I6)
	Key program goal areas (this year)	For this program year, please select your agency’s three highest priority Head Start program goal areas.	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 24	Project-developed
	Resources identified to assist in meeting goals (this year)	For this program year, what resources have you identified to assist your Head Start program in meeting its goals?	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 25	Project-developed
	Gaps in services or assistance to meeting goals (this year)	For this program year, in reviewing the available resources to support your organization’s efforts towards meeting its overall goals, what gaps in services or assistance are there? Please explain.	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 26	Project-developed
	Agency decision-making about use of discretionary T/TA funds	Who is most responsible for deciding how your organization’s discretionary OHS training and/or technical assistance funds are used (including all discretionary dollars, such as PA20, PA21 or PA25)? (Item II.14)	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 14	Project-developed
	Decision-making about who receives T/TA or PD	When you make decisions about which staff and stakeholders will receive training, technical assistance and/or professional development, which of the following sources of information do you usually take into consideration?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 9	Project-developed
1.d. How are decisions about T/TA made?	Factors that contribute to decision-making about intended T/TA recipients	Which of the objectives below contributes to decisions about whom among your staff and stakeholders receive training and/or technical assistance?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 10	Project-developed
	Quality of T/TA sources	Please rate each type of provider on three dimensions: how much you view them as trusted sources of training and/or technical assistance, how knowledgeable they are, and the quality of the training and technical assistance they provide.	III. Organizational Goals and Reflections on T/TA Efforts, Item 27	Project-developed

Research Question 2. To address research question 2, the survey collects information about the types and characteristics of T/TA that Head Start grantees and their staff receive, and the financial resources grantees use to obtain T/TA. Information about grantees use of ACF and non-ACF T/TA will inform OHS about potential duplication in the resources disseminated by ACF or how T/TA funding might be re-allocated to better meet grantees’ needs.

Research Question 2: What T/TA are Head Start grantees’ staff receiving from all available sources?

Sub-Questions	Constructs	Measures	Section and Item Number	Source
2.a. What are the characteristics of the T/TA grantees are receiving?	Types of external providers	During the last program year, what types of external providers did your program use for training and technical assistance? (External providers can include Head Start staff outside of your agency, QRIS, curriculum companies, university staff, consultants, or government resources.)	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 18	Project-developed
	Types of staff and stakeholders that participated in training by external providers and/or agency staff (domain-specific)	During the last program year, in which content areas did the following Head Start program staff and stakeholders participate in trainings and technical assistance led by T/TA providers from outside of your agency?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 19_1	Project-developed
		During the last program year, in which content areas did the following Head Start program staff and stakeholders participate in trainings and technical assistance led by T/TA providers who are on staff within your agency?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 19_2	Project-developed
2.b. What grantee resources are being expended to receive and support that T/TA?	Funding sources for T/TA	Which of the following sources does your organization use to pay for training and technical assistance? Please include paying for direct costs as well as for staff time.	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 12	Project-developed
	Agency supports to help staff obtain T/TA	Does your agency do any of the following to help staff obtain training and/or technical assistance?	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 11	Project-developed

Research Question 3. To answer research question 3, the survey collects information about whether and how the receipt of T/TA informs practice change for Head Start grantees. Specifically, the survey focuses on T/TA received by grantees in selected areas of Head Start practice (noted above) and how it may inform change in knowledge, skills, practice, or organizational capacity. This information will allow ACF to explore contextual and organizational factors that may shape how grantees use and apply T/TA received in different areas of practice. For ACF, the survey can inform T/TA delivery methods to promote the adoption of research-based practices. 

Research Question 3: How does T/TA inform practice change within Head Start grantees and how does this differ across the practice areas of interest (i.e., program management, human resources, fiscal operations; early childhood development and education; family and community services; and health, mental health, nutrition, and safety)?

Sub-Questions	Constructs	Measures	Section and Item Number	Source
3.a. How does T/TA inform practice change within Head Start grantees and how does this differ across the practice areas of interest?	Strategies used to share knowledge/build skills (domain specific)	For each of the four content areas, indicate which strategies your Head Start program uses to share knowledge and build skills throughout your agency.	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 15	Project-developed
	Other strategies used to share knowledge/build skills	Please list any other strategies that your Head Start program uses to share knowledge and build skills throughout your agency.	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 16	Project-developed
	Degree of uniformity of implementation across content area domains	Please indicate for each of the four content areas whether or not sharing of knowledge and building skills tends to be done uniformly across centers you operate.	II. Approach to Training and Technical Assistance, Item 17	Project-developed

Covariates. Below is a list of items that are intended to collect information that will provide contextual information and/or covariates in the analyses.

Sub-Questions	Constructs	Measures		Source
	Number of children	In total, how many children age 5 and under does your agency serve? Please include children funded by Head Start as well as those funded by other sources or privately paid.	I. Overall Agency Characteristics, Item 1	Project developed
	Agency management approach	We are interested in training and technical assistance practices throughout your agency’s OHS-funded activities. Please tell us how your agency manages its different Head Start grants, program options and programs, such as Head Start and Early Head Start.	I. Overall Agency Characteristics, Item 2	Project developed
	Agency sources of funds for child and family services	In addition to Head Start funding, which of the following are additional sources of funds that your program receives to provide services to children and families? Which of these are your two largest funding sources excluding federal Head Start funds?	I. Overall Agency Characteristics, Item 3	Project-developed
		Which of these are your two largest funding sources excluding federal Head Start funds?	I. Overall Agency Characteristics, Item 3_1	Project developed
	Number of staff supporting Head Start program	How many staff members or consultants currently work in or support your Head Start program in each of these roles?	I. Overall Agency Characteristics, Item 4	Project-developed
	Staff turnover	What proportion of your agency’s current staff have been in their roles for less than 24 months?	I. Overall Agency Characteristics, Item 4_1	Project-developed
	Most knowledgeable person for Wave 2 domains	We will be conducting a follow-up survey to learn about your agency’s training and technical assistance experiences in one of the topical areas listed below. Please identify the person in your organization most knowledgeable about your organization’s practices and use of training or technical assistance for each of the topical areas below. (The same person may be listed for multiple areas, including yourself.)	I. Overall Agency Characteristics, Item 31	Project-developed