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.
Volume IX, Number 1, Spring 2003
Issue Topic: Evaluating Out-of-School Time
HFRP Resources
The Out-of-School-Time Program Evaluation Database
To meet the rising demand for information on out-of-school time (OST) evaluation, Harvard Family Research Project created the Out-Of-School Time Program Evaluation Database with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. This online resource is designed to provide information in an easily accessible format, with the goal of supporting the development of high quality evaluation and programs in the OST field. The database now includes information on three dozen program evaluations and we add and update evaluations quarterly.
Types of Programs Included in the Database
Our OST database offers a range of evaluation work from large-scale national OST investments (such as the national 21st Century Community Learning Centers evaluation) to small-scale local program evaluations (such as the Thunderbirds Teen Center program in Arizona) and programs that focus on after school as well as on the broader out-of-school time. It also includes evaluation work of initiatives that have strong OST components, such as community schools and mentoring initiatives. Evaluations included in our database must meet three criteria:
- The evaluated program operates during out-of-school time.
- The evaluation aims to answer a specific evaluation question or set of questions about a specific program.
- The evaluated program serves children between the ages of 5 and 19.
Included evaluations represent a variety of designs, methodologies, and findings to serve multiple stakeholder needs.
Extra Online Resources From HFRPOur latest Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation brief is an expanded version of our Evaluation Exchange special report. It includes a summary of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers report, expert commentary about its implications, and an expanded list of resources related to promoting quality out-of-school time programs through research and evaluation. Click here to view this brief free or charge (with all of the previous briefs in the series) on our website. To be notified when we post the new brief on our website, sign up for the OST notification email. |
Organization of the Database
Information in the database is presented as profiles of individual programs. Each profile is divided into two main sections: (1) program and (2) evaluation. The program section includes information about the program’s goals, scope, funding, duration, participants, components, and contact information and a brief overview of the evaluation(s). The evaluation section provides detailed summaries of each evaluation study, including the evaluation purpose and questions, design and sample, data collection methods, and findings. Information in each of these sections is searchable along key attributes, allowing users to access information tailored to their own needs.
Practical Applications
The database is envisioned as a program-building tool. By providing detailed information about evaluation designs, methods, and data collection approaches, the database enables program staff, funders, and evaluators to learn about how others have approached evaluation. The database is also envisioned as a field-building tool. By bringing together information about evaluation investments and findings across the OST field, the database helps OST program staff to better understand the “yield” from current and planned knowledge investments, to understand what is known about findings from evaluations of OST programs, and facilitate strategic investment of evaluation resources.
Erin Harris, Research Assistant, HFRP
Click here to view the database. For information about how to submit an evaluation for inclusion in the database, please contact Chris Wimer by telephone at 617-495-9108 or by email at wimer@fas.harvard.edu.