Research and evaluation
As an applied research center within the Institute of Child Development, CEED’s focus has always been on using rigorous analytical methods to answer research questions pertaining to early childhood, early education, and the workforce that supports young children and their families. We bring the latest science to bear on questions with practical impacts. Does your organization have a research question related to early childhood? Do you need an experienced partner to design a study for you? Do you need to evaluate a program or curriculum to better understand its effectiveness? CEED research and evaluation staff can help.
In addition to deep content knowledge within the field of early education, CEED staff have a broad range of technical expertise in conducting research and evaluation projects. We are skilled in qualitative studies, mixed methods, observations, and systems approaches. We have conducted projects at a local, state, and national level. We are always happy to discuss opportunities to collaborate and/or lead projects for your organization.
Photo by Shoeib Abolhassani on Unsplash
Case study: Evaluation of an executive function-based preschool curriculum
The Family Partnership is a nonprofit organization that provides counseling, home visiting, and other services to families in the Twin Cities. For eight years, the organization has been honing a preschool curriculum called Empowering Generational Greatness (EGG). This curriculum supports language development and executive functioning skills with storytelling activities. The Family Partnership’s own therapeutic preschool classrooms were EGG’s initial proving ground. Since then, it has been piloted in preschool and Head Start classrooms around the country.
The Family Partnership reached out to CEED for an evaluation of EGG. To gauge its effectiveness, Research Associates Alyssa Meuwissen, PhD, and Mary McEathron, PhD, gather both qualitative and quantitative data. They survey and interview teachers, asking them to provide information about children’s behavior and executive function both before and after the implementation of EGG. They also measure children’s executive function skills directly using the Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS)–again, before and after EGG.
The CEED team also asks teachers what they think of the curriculum itself–what they like or dislike, what is easy or difficult to implement. That teacher feedback has been instrumental in shaping the final product. The Family Partnership used that information to revise the daily time commitment and the total length of time needed to complete the curriculum. Teachers’ needs also determined EGG’s toolkit format, which includes an easy-to-use planning guide and activity cards that can be organized on a binder ring and brought into the classroom.
CEED’s evaluation of EGG shows that it is advancing the goals that The Family Partnership set out to achieve. Preschool teachers and parent educators report that they enjoy EGG, and that they are seeing positive changes, including improvements in classroom culture as well as improvements in children’s language, ability to empathize, self-advocacy, and interest in reading.
Meet our research and evaluation staff
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