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 From Organizations That Learn
Four experts in the out-of-school time field discuss their experiences using evaluation for program improvement.
A Recipe for Quality Out-of-School Time Programs
Priscilla Little from HFRP asks eight after school experts to identity the single ingredient essential to ensuring high quality OST programs.
Expanded Learning Opportunities in New Jersey—Pathways to Student Success
This Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) policy brief, prepared for New Jersey After 3’s Expanded Learning Time Summit in September 2010, describes the potential benefits of participation in a range of well-implemented ELO programs and initiatives for students of all ages, including afterschool and summer programming, and underscores the benefits of strong partnerships for learning between schools and out‐of‐school learning supports. It concludes with a set of key policy factors to consider when adopting different ELO approaches.
Improving Bradenton’s After School Programs Through Utilization-Focused Evaluation
Katherine Loflin of the Knight Foundation describes the utilization-focused evaluation efforts in one of Knight’s communities.
Something Borrowed, Something New: Libraries as Learning Hubs
We share several resources on libraries - modern, evolving community spaces of education and support for families and children.
Engaging Adolescents in Out-of-School Time Programs: Learning What Works
This article examines both the incentives and barriers that affect adolescents' participation in out-of-school time programs.
Evaluating Municipal Out-of-School Time Initiatives
To inform municipal leaders who are developing out-of-school time evaluations, HFRP scanned the city-level initiatives in its evaluation profiles database and prepared this short brief that describes the evaluation approaches, methods, and performance measures that some cities are using for evaluation.
Free. Available online only.
Leave Them Wanting More!: Engaging Youth in Afterschool
Afterschool programs are a powerful influence in the lives of young people, but their benefits can only be realized if youth are engaged. This commentary explores the different dimensions of youth engagement in afterschool programs and offers promising practices for those seeking to promote and foster youth engagement.
Family Engagement in Anywhere, Anytime Learning
Explore the world of anywhere, anytime learning with us! Read how researchers and practitioners are helping to close the opportunity gap by creating innovative spaces, developing strategic collaborations to ensure children’s success, and engaging families and children as partners in meaningful learning experiences, both in and out of school.
Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement
Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association call for libraries to join together with schools and community organizations to establish a system of family engagement that extends throughout a child’s life, supports children and families, and prepares children for success.
The RALLY Program: Scaling an Inclusive Approach to Intervention and Prevention
Helen Janc Malone of HFRP describes an afterschool program’s strategy for scaling its services and the role of evaluation in the scaling process.
Evaluating Partners for Student Success
Jennifer Maltby from Boston After School & Beyond describes the evaluation design and goals of the Partners for Student Success initiative.
How Organizations Provide Learning Opportunities for Children and Families
Read about how organizations—including early childhood programs, schools, afterschool programs, museums, and libraries—play a key role in helping families access resources, build social networks, and create learning mindsets.
Program Evaluation Across the Nation Using Technology
Sarah Levin Martin, currently with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, describes an innovative, cost-effective way to collect and report evaluation data for program quality improvement.
After School for Cindy: Family, School, and Community Roles in Out-of-School Time Teaching Case
Second grade teacher Nikki believes that participation in a formal after school program would help her student Cindy academically at school. However, Cindy's single working mother Marla prefers to keep Cindy with her in the afternoons after her numerous struggles with securing quality affordable care in the community. What are the roles of family, school, and community in promoting children's learning and development in out-of-school time?
Free. Available online only.
Improve Family Involvement in After School Programs
Growing evidence tells us that parent involvement in after school programs can make a difference in children's lives, as well as benefit families, schools, and after school programs themselves. This article by Ellen Mayer and Holly M. Kreider draws from research conducted by HFRP in partnership with Build the Out-of-School Time Network and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. It describes four strategies for engaging elementary school families in after school programs and provides examples of promising practices from family-focused programs serving ethnically diverse families. The article also offers implications for parents and parent leaders as they select and design after school programs.
Logic Models in Real Life: After School at the YWCA of Asheville
Cindy McMahon of the YWCA of Ashville, North Carolina, shares how YWCA as a whole, and her after school program as a part of it, used a logic model to show they make a difference for women and families.
Building a Road Map for OST Collaborations
Dishon Mills from the Boston Public Schools describes a new quality assessment tool that is designed to engage and facilitate collaboration among OST programs, schools, and families.
Increasing the Bottom Line by Supporting Families
Lynn Mitchell, from Corporate Voices for Working Families, describes how businesses can promote policies and practices that support working families, using partnerships between private and public sectors.
Measuring Change: Out-of-School Time Programs and School Culture
Holly Morehouse describes how out-of-school time programs connected to the school day transformed one district's school culture.
Strengthening Local Evaluation Capacity in Rural Communities
Using a participatory/empowerment evaluation approach with Save the Children, Linda Morrell and Kenneth Terao from the Aguirre Group offer reflections and lessons learned from their experience.
Building Connections Between After School Programs and the Business Community
Andy Muñoz of City Year and Glenn Zaccara of T-Mobile talk about how their organizations link OST programs, businesses, and communities to support quality programming for youth.
A Strong Start for Family Engagement in Massachusetts
Through its Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge funds, Massachusetts has created strategic partnerships with museums and libraries, public television, family and community programs, community nonprofits, and public transportation to build a robust and growing statewide family engagement system.
The New 3Rs — Reading, Resilience, and Relationships in Afterschool Programs
Gil Noam describes an evaluation to discover how well the New 3Rs, a proven school-based reading and risk prevention intervention, works in after school contexts.
Reflections on Access and Equity Implications for After School Program Evaluations
Laurie Olsen, Executive Director California Tomorrow, highlights the importance of addressing issues of access and equity in the evaluation of after school programs.