Challenges in needs assessment: the Head Start needs assessment national analysis.

Needs assessment (NA) is conducted to identify discrepancies that guide the development and improvement of services. In this article we focus on methodological issues in a secondary analysis of a multi-site, national needs assessment. Understanding challenges in such a context is important for needs assessors. The Head Start needs assessment project is a good illustration of the problems that can be encountered. Lessons learned will be useful for advancing NA practice in the future.