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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.

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Innovative Models to Guide Family Support and Education Policy in the 1990s: An Analysis of Four Pioneering State Programs

This research study evaluates and analyzes state initiatives in Missouri, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Maryland to support parents and early childhood. Lessons learned and evaluation methodologies are presented.

Harvard Family Research Project (March 1990) Research Report

Putting an Equity Lens on Family Engagement in Oregon

Creating high-quality early childhood systems necessitates a strong focus on family engagement. Check out how Oregon is adopting an equity lens and building a strong foundation to engage families by leveraging federal funds, community leadership, and philanthropic investments.

Anairis Hinojosa and M. Elena Lopez (October 29, 2015) Research Report

Early Head Start: Further Lessons

Catherine Ayoub and Barbara Pan, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, describe their work collecting and analyzing longitudinal data to supplement national findings from the Early Head Start study.

Catherine C. Ayoub, Ed.D. , Barbara Alexander Pan, Ph.D. (Summer 2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

Alternative Designs for Community-Based Research: Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Initiative

Stephen Bagnato, Robert Grom, and Leon Haynes describe an evaluation design that provides scientific rigor in a community setting.

Stephen Bagnato, Ed.D. , Robert Grom, Leon Haynes (Fall 2003) Evaluation Exchange Article

Learning Together—Exploring a Nonprofit-Museum-Preschool-Family Partnership Model

Through a resourceful museum-preschool-family partnership involving cultural institutions across the city, an organization in New York City is providing rich anywhere, anytime learning opportunities for young children from low-income households. Learn how the Literacy Through Culture program hopes to increase families’ enthusiasm and appreciation for learning in a variety of contexts and build strong parent–child interactions around fun learning activities.

Barbara Palley, Cathleen Wiggins, Melissa Ptacek, Shanta Lawson, and Charlene Melville (June 9, 2014) Research Report

SPARKing Innovation

Tony Berkley of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation describes the application of a theory of change to a complex initiative to facilitate team learning, strategic management, and program improvement.

Tony Berkley (Spring 2005) Evaluation Exchange Article

Exploring the Parent, Family, Community Engagement Simulation: A Conversation With Brandi Black Thacker and Guylaine Richard

What you say to families and do with them matters! In this Q & A with Brandi Black Thacker and Guylaine Richards, we learn about how the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Simulation can be used as a professional development tool in Head Start/Early Head Start programs and beyond.

Brandi Black Thacker , Guylaine Richard (December 5, 2013) Research Report

Community Collaboration 90806: A Partnership to Increase School Readiness in Long Beach

Marielle Bohan-Baker describes the instructive and collaborative approach to planning and evaluation of six community partners in Long Beach, California.

Marielle Bohan-Baker (Fall 2003) Evaluation Exchange Article

The Transition to Kindergarten: A Review of Current Research and Promising Practices to Involve Families

This brief offers a synthesis of findings based on a review of current research on the transition to kindergarten, especially the important role that families play in the transition. It focuses on promising transition practices and how schools can get involved in their implementation.

Marielle Bohan-Baker , Priscilla M.D. Little (April 2002) Research Report

Thinking Big: A New Framework for Family Involvement Policy, Practice, and Research

Suzanne Bouffard and Heather Weiss reframe family involvement as part of a broader complementary learning approach to promoting children’s success in education and in life.

Suzanne Bouffard, Ph.D. , Heather Weiss, Ed.D. (Spring 2008) Evaluation Exchange Article

Continuous Improvement: Being Responsive When There is Need for Change

Deborah J. Brown, external evaluator for Save the Children, discusses how continuous improvement processes have helped strengthen one of Save the Children’s language development and pre-literacy programs, Early Steps to School Success.

Deborah J. Brown (September 17, 2013) Research Report

Rethinking the Evaluation of Family Strengthening Strategies: Beyond Traditional Program Evaluation Models

Charles Bruner of the Child and Family Policy Center outlines three factors of good family strengthening programs that evaluators are not adequately measuring in their evaluations.

Charles Bruner, Ph.D. (Summer 2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

Identifying School Readiness Indicators to Stimulate Policy Action

Elizabeth Burke Bryant and Catherine Walsh, of Rhode Island Kids Count, give an account of the School Readiness Indicators Initiative.

Elizabeth Burke Bryant , Catherine B. Walsh (Summer 2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

North Carolina's Smart Start Initiative: A Decade of Evaluation Lessons

Donna Bryant and Karen Ponder describe the past 10 years of evaluating North Carolina's nationally recognized early childhood initiative.

Donna Bryant , Karen Ponder (Summer 2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

Advocating for the Rights of Undocumented Families

Moria Cappio and Melanie Reyes from The Children’s Aid Society share their experiences reinventing family engagement strategies in their East Harlem Early Head Start/Head Start program to reach out to immigrant families by including parent civic advocacy. Cappio and Reyes also describe how using an advocacy evaluation tool helped them navigate these uncharted waters.

Moria Cappio , Melanie Reyes (May 2010) Research Report

Framing Program Evaluation: Why We Should Tinker With Theories of Change and Logic Models

While evaluation needs may vary, all organizations can benefit from utilizing theory-based evaluation tools to frame evaluation efforts. This article explores how three organizations developed their program’s theory of change and logic model.

Carolina Buitrago (November 19, 2015) Research Report

Learning for All: The Value of Field Experience in Training a New Generation of Program Evaluators

Field experience in evaluation inquiry is a promising approach to preparing the next generation of evaluators. Learn what one group of student consultants and organizations did to make a field experience in evaluative inquiry a positive one.

Carolina Buitrago with Sunindiya Bhalla, Nomi Davidson, Sarah Davila, Anairis Hinojosa, Babe Liberman, and Katie Tosh (December 3, 2015) Research Report

Bridging Worlds: Family Engagement in the Transition to Kindergarten

This teaching case explores the complex issues surrounding the transition to kindergarten and the importance of family engagement in the process. Three expert commentaries and discussion questions are included. An interactive version is also available.

Margaret Caspe (2014) Research Report

Teaching the Teachers: Preparing Educators to Engage Families for Student Achievement

Harvard Family Research Project and the National PTA® have teamed up to bring you the third brief in our ground-breaking series about family engagement policy, highlighting the need for teacher education programs to prepare teachers to better work with families.

Margaret Caspe , M. Elena Lopez, Ashley Chu, & Heather B. Weiss (May 2011) Research Report

Lessons From Family-Strengthening Interventions: Learning From Evidence-Based Practice

Examine how effective family-strengthening interventions can positively impact families and children in this practitioner-friendly brief from Harvard Family Research Project. Lessons From Family-Strengthening Interventions: Learning From Evidence-Based Practice is based on our review of interventions that have been rigorously evaluated through experimental and quasi-experimental studies. We offer educators, service providers, and evaluators recommendations for creating successful programs and evaluations.

Margaret Caspe , M. Elena Lopez (October 2006) Research Report

Engaging Families in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Project-Based Learning

To be successful, children need a strong science, technology, engineering, and math foundation. Learn how Iridescent, a project funded in part by the National Science Foundation, connects families, engineers, and children to develop these skills early on in school.

Tara Chklovski (March 19, 2015) Research Report

Finding Time Together: Families, Schools, and Communities Supporting Anywhere, Anytime Learning

How do families spend time supporting their children’s informal and formal learning beyond the school day and across settings? Find out how educators and institutions are helping families promote their children’s learning experiences anytime, in school and beyond.

Christine Patton and Margaret Caspe (September 17, 2014) Research Report

Examining the Efficacy of Two Models of Preschool Professional Development in Language and Literacy

Nancy Clark-Chiarelli from Education Development Center, Inc. describes an evaluation of two approaches to early literacy professional development—one with a traditional face-to-face mode of delivery and one with a technology-enhanced component.

Nancy Clark-Chiarelli (Winter 2005/2006) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Conversation With Richard Rothstein

Richard Rothstein argues that narrowing the achievement gap requires substantial changes in social policy in addition to extensive school reform.

Julia Coffman (Spring 2005) Evaluation Exchange Article

Research and Advocacy Collaboration: A New Jersey Case Study

Too often vital research in the early care and education field does not get used effectively for advocacy purposes. While researchers and advocates often share the same goals, they tend to operate on separate tracks. This brief explores how research and advocacy can be bridged for greater effect using strategic communications. By definition, strategic communications means a deliberate plan or tactics for using communications as a channel for achieving a certain result. Collaborative work in the state of New Jersey around the goal of achieving a comprehensive and quality early care and education system is used as a backdrop for learning about effective practice.

Julia Coffman (January 2002) Research Report

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Published by Harvard Family Research Project