You are seeing this message because your web browser does not support basic web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing and what you can do to make your experience on this site better.

www.HFRP.org

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.

Terms of Use ▼


Browse by Research Area:

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

A Conversation With Rudy Crew

Rudy Crew, Superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, talks about his book, Only Connect, and his efforts to close the achievement gap in Miami-Dade County.

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

A Conversation With Susan Nall Bales

Susan Bales, President of the FrameWorks Institute, explains strategic frame analysis, a new approach to communications research and practice that she and her colleagues at the Institute were instrumental in developing.

Marielle Bohan-Baker (Winter 2001) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Conversation with Thomas R. Guskey

Thomas R. Guskey of the University of Kentucky discusses his five-step process for evaluating professional development in education and its connection to professional development planning.

Holly Kreider , Suzanne Bouffard (Winter 2005/2006) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Conversation With Wendy Puriefoy

Wendy Puriefoy is President of Public Education Network (PEN). She spoke with HFRP about standards-based reform, its evaluation, communicating about it to the public, and the No Child Left Behind Act.

M. Elena Lopez (Summer 2003) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Day in the Life: Family Engagement in Citizen Schools

Emily Schneider-Krzys, the Deputy Program Director of Citizen Schools in Texas, explains how the Citizen Schools program’s focus on creating networks, building intentional relationships, and establishing consistent communication helps to engage families and support student learning.

Emily Schneider-Krzys (August 2009) Research Report

A Decade of International Trends in Evaluation

Craig Russon of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation describes efforts to connect evaluation organizations around the world to form an international community.

Craig Russon (Winter 2003/2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Decade of Urban School Reform: Persistence and Progress in the Boston Public Schools

HFRP staff members Abby R. Weiss and Helen Westmoreland describe the evolution of Boston Public Schools' family and community engagement efforts in a chapter of this book.

Abby R. Weiss , Helen Westmoreland (March 2007) Research Report

A Field is Born: Reflections on a Decade of Afterschool

Priscilla Little, an independent consultant working in afterschool research and evaluation, reflects on the transformation of afterschool from being  merely a “safe haven” for kids whose parents are working to a core component of a holistic education. She also highlights six strategies for engaging families in afterschool programs.

Priscilla Little (June 28, 2012) Research Report

A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy

Organizational Research Services identifies outcomes associated with advocacy and policy work based on its new resource, A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy.

Jane Reisman, Ph.D. , Anne Gienapp, Sarah Stachowiak (Spring 2007) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Human-Centered Approach to Family Engagement

A human-centered design approach – an approach that is based on observation, empathy, optimism, collaboration, and experimentation – opens new possibilities for educators to motivate and sustain family engagement.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

A Lens on Learning: Teaching Youth to Produce Documentaries

Steven Goodman, director of the Educational Video Center and author of Teaching Youth Media, describes a program that teaches media literacy and documentary production skills to youth in New York City, with an eye toward fostering civic engagement.

Steven Goodman (Fall 2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Different Types of Parental Involvement Programs for Urban Students

In this Research Digest, William Jeynes highlights key findings from his recent meta-analysis examining the effectiveness of different types of school-based parental involvement programs. His study found that programs that emphasized shared reading, teacher–parent partnership, checking homework, and teacher–parent communication all had statistically significant positive effects on student outcomes. Jeynes discusses why the effects of school-based programs are greater than the effects seen with “voluntary” expressions of parental engagement.

William H. Jeynes (February 7, 2013) Research Report

A Mixed Method Approach to Understanding Family-School Communication

This paper presents the initial findings from an ethnographic case study, focusing on the mixed-method research strategy used in the MacArthur Comprehensive Child Development Project Follow-up Study. The aim of the study was to expand the understanding of children's developmental trajectories as they traverse the elementary school years. This paper presents three case study vignettes of children in the second grade, each highlighting a different aspect of family-school communication from the perspective of the children's parents, and highlights the methodological strengths of ethnography. The third vignette uncovered the complexity and contradictions and race, racism, and informal communication between home and child for one African-American child. (Available in ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED422111)

Heather Weiss , J. Dirks, K. Friedman, G. Hanley, H. Kreider, E. Levine, E. Mayer, C. McAllister, P. Vaughan, J. Wellenkamp (July 1998) Research Report

A Model for Statewide Parent Involvement Leadership in Colorado

Tina House of the Colorado Parent Involvement Network for Education discusses a collaborative approach to providing statewide leadership for family engagement.

Tina House (May 2009) Research Report

A New Approach to Transitions: Welcoming Families and Their Ideas into Kindergarten Classrooms

Ken Smythe-Leistico is the director of Ready Freddy: Pathways to Kindergarten Success at the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development. In this profile, Ken discusses the Ready Freddy program—created in collaboration with Pittsburgh Public Schools, families, and community partners to increase the likelihood that children will have a successful kindergarten year.

Ken Smythe-Leistico (March 15, 2012) Research Report

A New Tool for Understanding Family–School Relationships: The Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK-12 Parent Survey

This tool, developed through a partnership between the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Survey Monkey, provides educators with free access to a set of survey questions, or scales, to help them collect and analyze data about their family engagement work. These scales also provide educators with an efficient way to assess the progress of their work and identify areas for improvement.

Beth Schueler (February 7, 2013) Research Report

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.

Priscilla M. D. Little (Spring 2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

A Review of Activity Implementation in Out-of-School Time Programs

This Snapshot examines the range and scope of activities being implemented in current out-of-school time programs to set a context for understanding the links between program activities and positive outcomes for youth.

Suzanne Bouffard , Priscilla M. D. Little (August 2003) Research Report

Free. 4 Pages.

A Review of Out-of-School Time Program Quasi-Experimental and Experimental Evaluation Results

This Snapshot provides an overview of what the quasi-experimental and experimental evaluations in the HFRP's OST Database reveal about the impact of out-of-school time programs on an array of academic, prevention, and youth development outcomes. It also includes a resource list of other out-of-school time evaluation reviews and related evaluation information.

Priscilla M. D. Little , Erin Harris (July 2003) Research Report

Hard copy out of stock. Available online only.

A Special Education Plan for Anabela: Does Supporting Her Needs Mean Holding Her Back?

A mother advocated strongly for her daughter's special education placement at a new school, but now appears under-involved to the teachers. The classroom and resource room teachers disagree about whether to retain the girl in second grade, and the classroom teacher must make a recommendation to the principal, knowing the family has opposed retention in the past.

Peggy Vaughan (2002) Teaching Case

Free. Available online only.

A Strategic Evaluation Approach for the Parental Information and Resource Centers

Helen Westmoreland and Suzanne Bouffard describe the evolving evaluation strategy for the national Parental Information and Resource Centers program, the program’s potential to build the family involvement field, and the role of the National PIRC Coordination Center.

Helen Westmoreland , Suzanne Bouffard, Ph.D. (Spring 2008) Evaluation Exchange Article

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.

Nathan Driskell (December 11, 2014) Research Report

A User's Guide to Advocacy Evaluation Planning

A User's Guide to Advocacy Evaluation Planning was developed for advocates, evaluators, and funders who want guidance on how to evaluate advocacy and policy change efforts. This tool takes users through four basic steps that generate the core elements of an advocacy evaluation plan, including what will be measured and how.

Julia Coffman (Fall 2009) Tool for Evaluation

Free. Available online only.

Academic Achievement

This issue of FINE Forum explores new forms of and strategies in family involvement, all of which share a common goal: expanding and deepening family and community roles to help students meet high standards.

Harvard Family Research Project (Winter 2001/2002) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

© 2016 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College
Published by Harvard Family Research Project