Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 4.djvu/992

 112 STAT. 2724 PUBLIC LAW 105-285—OCT. 27, 1998 "(9) study the experiences of small, medium, and large States with Head Start programs in order to permit comparisons of children participating in the programs with eligible children who did not participate in the programs, which study— "(A) may include the use of a data set that existed prior to the initiation of the study; and "(B) shall compare the educational achievement, social adaptation, and health status of the participating children and the eligible nonparticipating children; and "(10) provide for— "(A) using the Survey of Income and Program Participation to conduct an analysis of the different income levels of Head Start participants compared to comparable persons who did not attend Head Start programs; "(B) using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which began gathering data in 1988 on children who attended Head Start programs, to examine the wide range of outcomes measured within the Survey, including outcomes related to cognitive, socio-emotional, behavioral, and academic development; "(C) using the Survey of Program Djmamics, the new longitudinal survey required by section 414 of the Social Security Act (42 tJ.S.C. 614), to begin annual reporting, through the duration of the Survey, on Head Start program attendees' academic readiness performance and improvements; "(D) ensuring that the Survey of Program Dynamics is linked with the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth at least once by the use of a common performance test, to be determined by the expert panel, for the greater national usefulness of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth database; and "(E) disseminating the results of the analysis, examination, reporting, and linkage described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) to persons conducting other studies under this subchapter. Reports. The Secretary shall ensure that an appropriate entity carries out a study described in paragraph (9), and prepares and submits to the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing the results of the study, not later than September 30, 2002."; and (2) by adding at the end the following: " (g) NATIONAL HEAD START IMPACT RESEARCH.— "(1) EXPERT PANEL.— "(A) IN GENERAL. —The Secretary shall appoint an independent panel consisting of experts in progrgim evaluation and research, education, aind early childhood programs— "(i) to review, and mgike recommendations on, the design and plan for the research (whether conducted as a single assessment or as a series of assessments) described in paragraph (2), within 1 year after the date of enactment of the Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998; "(ii) to maintain and advise the Secretary regarding the progress of the research; and

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