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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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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

Explore: Resources to Strengthen Program Evaluation

Interested in developing a logic model, learning more about improvement science, or advancing your program evaluation? This guide offers valuable resources practitioners can utilize to strengthen their evaluative work and develop more productive relationships with evaluators.

Harvard Family Research Project (November 19, 2015) 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

Insights From Teaching a Graduate Evaluation and Improvement Science Course

In teaching Learning From Practice: Evaluation and Improvement Science at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Candice Bocala creates ample opportunities for students and partner organizations to work together as they explore the complexities of program evaluation. Discover the three insights Bocala has learned about program evaluation along the way.

Candice Bocala (November 12, 2015) Research Report

Course Syllabus for Learning From Practice: Evaluation and Improvement Science

Learn how this course explores a variety of approaches to program evaluation through the readings and assignments outlined in this course syllabus designed by Candice Bocala, adjunct lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Harvard Family Research Project (November 12, 2015) Research Report

Why We Need to Slow Down When It Comes to Evaluation

Read about lessons HFRP has learned from supporting evaluation efforts in the field. This commentary highlights the value of investing time to carefully consider the theory behind a program for evaluation to yield usable and actionable information.

Carolina Buitrago (November 12, 2015) Research Report

Afterschool Evaluation 101: How to Evaluate an Expanded Learning Program

Afterschool Evaluation 101 is a how-to guide for conducting an evaluation. It is designed to help out-of-school time (OST) program directors who have little or no evaluation experience develop an evaluation strategy. The guide will walk you through the early planning stages, help you select the evaluation design and data collection methods that are best suited to your program, and help you analyze the data and present the results.

Erin Harris (December 12, 2011) Research Report

Webinar Archive—OST Data and Evaluation: Collecting and Sharing Data to Support Communities

This presentation examines the “essential data” that OST providers and intermediaries should consider collecting for an evaluation, and the important role families can play throughout the process.

Sarah Deschenes , Erin Harris, Evelyn Brosi (October 24, 2011) Conferences and Presentations

Current Issue - Scaling Impact

This issue of The Evaluation Exchange explores the promising practices and challenges associated with taking an enterprise to scale, along with the role that evaluation can and should play in that process. It is the second in our “hard-to-measure” series, which we inaugurated with our Spring 2007 issue on evaluating advocacy.

Evaluation Exchange Issue

Research Update 3: Highlights From the Out-of-School Time Database

This publication explores how out-of-school time programs use evaluation to inform their programming and serve older youth and their families.

Erin Harris (September 2008) Research Report

Measurement Tools for Evaluating Out-of-School Time Programs: An Evaluation Resource

This Snapshot describes instruments used by current out-of-school time programs to evaluate their implementation and outcomes.

Christopher Wimer , Suzanne Bouffard, Priscilla M.D. Little, Claire Brown Goss (November 2005, updated August 2008) Research Report

After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What it Takes to Achieve It

This research brief draws on seminal research and evaluation studies to address two primary questions: (a) Does participation in after school programs make a difference, and, if so (b) what conditions appear to be necessary to achieve positive results? The brief concludes with a set of questions to spur conversation about the evolving role of after school in efforts to expand time and opportunities for children and youth in the 21st century.

Priscilla M.D. Little , Christopher Wimer, Heather B. Weiss, Harvard Family Research Project (February 2008) Research Report

Research Update 2: Highlights from the OST Database

Synthesizes findings from the profiles of 13 research and evaluation reports added to the OST Program Research and Evaluation Database in August 2007.

Chris Wimer (August 2007) Research Report

Research Update 1: Highlights from the OST Database

This Research Update synthesizes findings from the profiles of 15 research and evaluation reports added to the Out-of-School Time Program Research and Evaluation Database in December 2006. It highlights strategies for assessing program processes as well as key outcomes and features of programs that promote positive outcomes.

Chris Wimer (April 2007) Research Report

Summer Success: Challenges and Strategies in Creating Quality Academically Focused Summer Programs

This brief looks at evaluations of 34 academically focused summer programs in order to distill challenges and compile promising strategies for creating quality summer programs.

Christopher Wimer , Rachel Gunther (October 2006) Research Report

Building and Evaluating Out-of-School Time Connections

This double issue of The Evaluation Exchange focuses on creating and evaluating connections between out-of-school time (OST) programs and the other settings in which children and youth live, learn, and play.

Evaluation Exchange Issue

Learning from Small-Scale Experimental Evaluations of After School Programs

This Snapshot reviews small-scale experimental evaluations of after school programs, highlighting these studies' evaluation strategies and results.

Christopher Wimer (May 2006) Research Report

Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices in After School

This comprehensive, easy-to-read guide to understanding how to engage families in after school programs is a critical resource for after school providers looking to create or expand an existing family engagement program. It offers a research base for why family engagement matters, concrete program strategies for engaging families, case studies of promising family engagement efforts, and an evaluation tool for improving family engagement practices.

Zenub Kakli , Holly Kreider, Priscilla Little, Tania Buck, Maryellen Coffrey (February 2006) Research Report

Harnessing Technology in Out-of-School Time Settings

This Snapshot reviews the role of technology in OST programs, highlighting the evaluation methods and findings about implementation and youth outcomes.

Christopher Wimer , Billy Hull, Suzanne Bouffard (January 2006) Research Report

Exploring Quality Standards for Middle School After School Programs: What We Know and What We Need to Know Summit

This summit, made possible through a grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, brought together after school staff, administrators, researchers, and funders to discuss how quality assessment looks and feels different for after school programs that serve middle school youth.

Helen Westmoreland , Priscilla Little (December 9, 2005) Conferences and Presentations

Health and Sports/Recreation Program Evaluations

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Bibliography and Out-of-School Time Program Research and Evaluation Database both provide information on evaluations that have been conducted on sports/recreation and health-related out-of-school time (OST) programs, among other categories.

Erin Harris (March 2005) Research Report

Beyond School Hours VIII Annual Conference

Priscilla Little presented the workshop Learning What Works: An Evaluation Overview, providing an overview of what we know about after school evaluation. It examines how programs are collecting meaningful data for accountability and program improvement and what they are finding.

Priscilla M. D. Little (February 16, 2005) Conferences and Presentations

Understanding and Evaluating Family Engagement in Out-of-School Time (Workshop)

Engaging with families is one of the many strategies that out-of-school time (OST) programs use to create quality, adult-supervised experiences for youth during nonschool hours. This workshop introduced participants to the latest research and evaluation findings on family involvement in OST programs, and shared strategies for engaging with families, using two case studies to illustrate these practices in context.

Harvard Family Research Project (October 26, 2004) Conferences and Presentations

Promoting Quality Through Professional Development: A Framework for Evaluation

Recognizing the critical role that staff play in promoting quality OST programs, in this brief we examine OST professional development efforts and offer a framework for their evaluation.

Suzanne Bouffard , Priscilla M.D. Little (August 2004) Research Report

Understanding and Measuring Attendance in Out-of-School Time Programs

This brief reviews developmental research and out-of-school time program evaluations to examine three research-based indicators of attendance—intensity, duration, and breadth—offering different models for how attendance in out-of-school time programs can influence youth outcomes.

Heather B. Weiss (August 2004) Research Report

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