SPARK RttT: Year One Fidelity and Implementation
Author: Rochford, Joseph A.
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Federal Programs,Federal Aid,Fidelity,Program Implementation,School Readiness,Kindergarten,Early Childhood Education,Program Evaluation,Surveys,Measures (Individuals),Management Information Systems,Young Children,Screening Tests,Rural Schools,Home Visits

Developed in 2003 by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, &quot;Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids&quot; (&quot;SPARK Ohio&quot;) is a family-centered kindergarten readiness program that works with families, schools, and the community. From its initial sites in Stark County, &quot;SPARK Ohio&quot; expanded to Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Mahoning, Montgomery, Summit, and Trumbull Counties. SPARK Ohio's well documented results and continued support from the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton have made the program a model for replication. In 2013, funds from Ohio's &quot;Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant&quot; (&quot;RttT-ELC&quot;) enabled the expansion of the program in three high need rural communities: Logan Elm in Pickaway County, Mississinawa and Franklin Monroe districts in Darke County, and Sandy Valley in Stark County. Overall management of the program was transferred to the Early Childhood Learning Center in Canton, Ohio. Joseph Rochford, Ph.D., and Deric R. Kenne, Ph.D. were authorized to conduct evaluations of these new sites. Using the &quot;SPARK Evaluation and Data Protocol Manual&quot; (2013), Dr. Rochford evaluated how well sites adhered to, and implemented, the SPARK model. Dr. Kenne reviewed program outcomes. This report mirrors methodology previously used by former SPARK evaluator, Dr. Peter J. Leahy, to evaluate replication sites. In conducting those evaluations, Dr. Leahy wrote the &quot;SPARK Evaluation and Data Protocol Manual&quot; to identify relevant research questions. The numbered questions in this document are drawn from that manual. Dr. Leahy's team used these questions to develop survey instruments for SPARK program directors, supervisors, parent partners, and members of the Responsive Services Team. These same surveys are used in this evaluation. Dr. Leahy's team used the SPARK Management Information System (MIS). This report also draws on information from the SPARK MIS. SEP's review of MIS data took place from May 20 to September 15, 2014. The surveys were administered between January and February 2014. Although the Mississinawa/Franklin Monroe site is treated as one site, it functioned as two specific programs. This report uses feedback on sites from the Early Childhood Resource Center's Early Learning Challenge Grant Quarterly Reports of January, April, and July 2014. In August, Dr. Adrienne O'Neill and Adele Gelb replicated Dr. Leahy's follow-up site visits to gather information. Data from the SPARK MIS were reviewed at the end of the SPARK year (May-September). Persons are in charge of MIS data collection and input at each of the sites and have varied responsibilities and different levels of familiarity with the software. Data entry at different sites proceeded at different rates. Survey data has inherent limitations: whether all questions were understood similarly by participants and whether answers represent true depictions of program elements. While there are many challenges in each locale and the initial year proved to be a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with the program, each of the principals/program directors is committed to a stronger implementation in 2014-15 and finding the support and funding to sustain the program beyond the life of the Race to the Top grant.