The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
OUR MISSION
The mission of Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) is to shape 21st-century learning opportunities so that all children and youth thrive. Central to our work are addressing issues of access and equity in learning, and advancing family and community engagement practices that reinforce success for all children.
WORK
Since it was founded in 1983, HFRP has served as a national platform for forward-thinking perspectives on family and community engagement research, practices, policies, and strategies. Our work in family engagement focuses on developing frameworks and tools to promote involvement from early childhood through young adulthood—anywhere, anytime children learn—in the home, in school, and in community settings. Our community engagement efforts concentrate on building the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of learning environments outside of school, including early childhood and afterschool programs. Areas of expertise include research and documentation, evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance.
VISION
Our vision is of a society where many rich opportunities are available for anywhere, anytime learning for all children and youth, whether it takes place in the home, in school, or in community settings, or through online and off-line experiences.
ROLE
Through documentation, research, and dialogue, we broker ideas and innovative practices among policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders in order to inspire action about anywhere, anytime learning opportunities. Our role is to shape a national conversation about these opportunities and through strategic partnerships, build momentum for strong policy and program supports for learning across multiple settings.
RESOURCES
HFRP Interact: Join the Conversation and Explore Promising Practices
HFRP Interact connects a community of people with a passion for promoting children’s learning—through family engagement, early childhood education, afterschool programs, digital media, and home-school partnerships. A dynamic platform that includes web chats, web conferences, and discussion boards, HFRP Interact allows participants to share insights, strategies, and practices about family, school, and community connections within an active learning community.
Family Involvement Network of Educators
Launched in 2000, the Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) is a vibrant national network of more than 14,000 educators, practitioners, school administrators, policymakers, organization and community leaders, and others interested in promoting strong partnerships among schools, families, and communities to benefit children. Our FINE Newsletter is an interactive forum that shares the newest and best family engagement research and resources from HFRP and other field leaders to inspire action toward building a more robust family engagement field.
Informing Family Engagement Policy
HFRP works to advance family engagement policies and programs at the state and national level that are systemic, equitable, and respectful across the settings where children learn—at home, at school, and in the community. We create frameworks for action based on research and documentation and connect different sectors to ensure that children learn, thrive, and succeed. Together, with our state and national partners, we work to inspire and transform the conversation about policy directions in family engagement. We collaborate with our partners on joint position statements and documentation of promising policies and programs.
Out-of-School Time Research and Evaluation Database & Bibliography
We created the first database in the United States that provides accessible and timely information about the evaluation of OST programs and initiatives. The database includes narrative profiles of OST evaluations and is searchable according to several key criteria. The bibliography is a comprehensive list of evaluations we have identified to date. These resources help our audiences learn about and improve OST evaluation and can support policy and program development.
The Evaluation Exchange
The Evaluation Exchange is a quarterly periodical on lessons and emerging strategies for evaluating programs and policies, particularly those focused on children, families, and communities. Since it was launched over 20 years ago, The Evaluation Exchange has become an internationally known and significant force in helping to shape evaluation knowledge and practice.