Latest News

April 2023

Horm recognized for contributions to education field

ECEI Director Dr. Diane Horm received the Distinguished Contribution to Research Award from the Early Education and Child Development Special Interest Group (EE/CD SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). This award is given annually and recognizes an individual who has contributed nationally and internationally to the field of early education and child development.

“Under Horm’s innovative leadership, the ECEI has gone from an idea to a visible, viable research group employing more than 30 people, and engaging in cutting edge early childhood research, grants, and publications,” said Myae Han, past chair of the EE/CD SIG. “Perhaps the most important impact that Diane has had on the field of early education and child development has been through her mentorship of students and newer colleagues as well as her ability to collaborate with others in the field.”

Diane was presented her award during the AERA annual meeting in Chicago in April 2023. Congratulations!

January 9, 2023

ECEI's latest publication featured in Tulsa World

We’re pleased to announce that “Kindergarten through Grade 3 Outcomes Associated with Participation in High-Quality Early Care and Education: A RCT Follow-Up Study” was featured in the Tulsa World on January 9, 2023. The Tulsa Educare Follow Up Study provides some answers about the impacts of a high-quality early childhood education program starting in infancy. Read the full article here. 

Congratulations to our researchers who led the study and conducted analyses of the study results — Dr. Diane Horm, Dr. Shinyoung Jeon, Moira Clavijo and Melissa Acton. Thanks to George Kaiser Family Foundation and our partners at Tulsa Educare for their support of this project. OU-Tulsa OU Education.

February 11, 2022

Watch: Sherri Castle's Presentations to the NHSA

Dr. Sherri Castle recently led two presentations for the National Head Start Association’s “The What and Why of Child Assessments.”

The four-part webinar series was designed to provide a better understanding of the types of child assessments, why they are conducted, and how programs can choose the best assessments for them.

The webinar series is part of an effort from NHSA’s Senior Director of Data, Victoria Jones. As she points out here, Head Start Program Performance Standards require programs to use child assessments but they don’t require or recommend any specific tools. That often means educators are responsible for choosing, administering, interpreting, and using the results of child assessments.

Castle said that a lot of programs will use the same assessment but will use it in ways that are outside the boundaries of what that data will support.

“These webinars let us provide technical information to help these programs equip themselves to make the best decisions to support children,” she said

Session 1 – Child Assessments in Early Head Start

Session 2 – Child Assessments in Head Start