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.
Family Involvement News: Summer 2015
In our Family Involvement News, discover who is thinking about families in the reauthorization of ESEA, how home visits support engaged families, and why collaboration among schools, communities, and families is important for student success.
Demographic Differences in Youth Out-of-School Time Participation: A Research Summary
This 2-page Research Summary synthesizes findings from two HFRP publications that examine demographic differences in children's OST participation. This summary, which contains a subset of findings contained in the Fact Sheet, presents key findings on differences in multiple dimensions of participation in a range of OST activities and among youth from varying family income levels and racial and ethnic groups.
Free. Available online only.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Evaluation
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for evaluating family support programs.
$10.00 . 66 Pages.
Community Partnerships to Support High School Success
Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to keeping teens in school and successfully completing high school, AT&T Foundation and United Way Worldwide (UWW) started a new initiative—Family Engagement for High School Success. The goal of this grant was to identify promising family engagement strategies with a strong likelihood of raising high school graduation rates, and to share that information with communities around the country. Together with HFRP, UWW worked with communities to develop plans for high school success. This report highlights the innovative approaches developed and the early outcomes at eight of the UWW grantee sites
After School Evaluation Symposium
This 2-day meeting brought together the perspectives of diverse stakeholders to inspire new ideas and foster stronger links between research, practice, and policy. Participants discussed issues of access, quality, professional development, the role of evaluation research, and systems-building efforts.
Free. Available online only.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Programs to Service Systems
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for establishing and managing collaboration in a family support program.
$10.00 . 59 Pages.
Teaching the Bridging Worlds Case
Cases are a powerful tool to support teacher preparation in family engagement. Read how five faculty members facilitated the case Bridging Worlds: Family Engagement in the Transition to Kindergarten and learn how the case influenced both students and faculty.
What is Complementary Learning?
This short publication will give you a quick overview and some concrete examples of complementary learning. It includes information about what complementary learning looks like, some examples of complementary learning systems in practice today, and a description about what is different about complementary learning from traditional programs and services. Finally, we'll introduce you to Marcus, a fictional teenager whose story illustrates how complementary learning can positively affect the lives of students from birth through adolescence.
Family Involvement News: December 2013
We are committed to keeping you up to date on what’s new in family engagement. View our list of links to current reports, articles, resources, and events in the field.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Funding and Resources
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for funding and additional resources to support a family program.
$10.00 . 80 Pages.
Family Engagement as a Systemic, Sustained, and Integrated Strategy to Promote Student Achievement
This paper offers an expanded definition of family engagement based on research about children’s learning and the relationships among families, schools, and communities in support of such learning. The topics presented in this paper were originally introduced as commentaries in the August 2009, November 2009, and April 2010 issues of the F.I.N.E. Newsletter.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Staffing
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for providing professional development to staff supporting family programs.
$10.00 . 68 Pages.
Family Engagement in Public Libraries Is Valued, but There Is Work to Be Done
Ever wonder what libraries around the country are doing to engage families? Learn the answer to this question and others through HFRP and PLA’s national survey of family engagement in public libraries—– the results of which are presented here.
National AfterSchool Association Research and Evaluation Leadership Day Track
This is a summary of the information presented in this year's research and evaluation leadership day track. It provides an overview of the panel sessions, including summaries of speakers' remarks, presentation slides, contact information for each panelist, and a list of the key resources cited during the day.
Free. Available online only.
Commentary from Harvard Family Research Project on the Race to the Top Fund
Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) submitted recommendations to the National Register Notice regarding the Race to the Top Fund’s proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria. HFRP both endorsed the comments submitted by the National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group, a collaborative of leaders in the family engagement field including HFRP’s Heather Weiss, and asserted that a priority criterion for awarding Race to the Top dollars should focus on the quality and depth of family engagement, especially to achieve the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's goal of turning around struggling schools.
Free. Available online only.
Building Partnerships: Models of Family Support and Education Programs
This volume looks at innovative initiatives that have made family services more responsive to the changing needs of children and families. Initiatives in North Dakota, Iowa, Florida, Vermont, and Massachusetts are covered.
$6.00 . 55 Pages.
Family Involvement News: August 2016
Want to learn more about the role of libraries in transforming family engagement and children’s learning? Looking for family engagement research, resources, ideas, and conferences? Then check out the latest edition of our Family Involvement News..
Featured Teaching Case: "Daddy Says This New Math Is Crazy"
Harvard Family Research Project’s Teaching Cases support teacher training and professional development by highlighting challenges that schools, families, and communities may encounter in supporting children’s learning. In this issue, we feature "Daddy Says This New Math Is Crazy," which highlights the dilemmas that arise when innovations in teaching methods and curriculum are neither developed in collaboration with families and communities nor well-communicated to these critical stakeholders.
Family Involvement News: September 2012
We are committed to keeping you up to date on what's new in family engagement. This list of links to current reports, articles, events, and opportunities will help you stay on top of research and resources from HFRP and other field leaders.
Other Organizations' Out-of-School Time Publications
See other organizations' publications and resources related to community youth development and youth civic engagement, and The National 21st Century Community Learning Centers program evaluation.
Pioneering States: Innovative Family Support and Education Programs
This volume discusses five initiatives that have successfully integrated family support and education programs into the larger social service system. Initiatives in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, and Missouri are covered.
$6.00 . 36 Pages.