This issue hones in on professional development in four key sectors affecting children, youth, and families--K-12 education, early childhood education, child welfare, and youth development. Though these sectors face many of the same professional development challenges, each has its own unique issues, strengths, and goals. The staffing shortage in…

With support from the William T. Grant Foundation, Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) is conducting a research study on the factors associated with whether children and youth participate in out-of-school time (OST) programs and activities. Building on our previous work, we are using national data to examine the many factors and contexts in…

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database contains profiles of out-of-school time (OST) program evaluations. Its purpose is to provide accessible information about previous and current evaluations to support the development of high quality evaluations and programs in the OST field. Types of Programs…

A growing body of evidence confirms what makes sense intuitively--quality matters for participation in after school programs. Nationwide, a chief concern among after school stakeholders is programming for middle schoolers--too "old" to be told what to do after school and too "young" to be left home alone. A national dialogue about the state of…

"Family Involvement Makes a Difference" is a set of research briefs that examines one set of complementary learning linkages: family involvement in the home and school. As the first in the series, this brief focuses on the linkages among the family, early childhood education settings, and schools. Future papers will examine family involvement in…

Harvard Family Research Project's series of "Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots" distills the wealth of information compiled in the Out-of-School Time (OST) Program Evaluation Database into a single report. Each "Snapshot" examines a specific aspect of out-of-school time evaluation. This "Snapshot" describes instruments used by current OST…

The contributors to this issue ground their articles on one or more of these principles: (1) Evaluation theory and practice should reflect a society that advances democracy; (2) In an evaluation context, there should be a redistribution of power relationships accomplished by "democratizing knowledge" and acknowledging the value of different types…

On September 22-23, 2005, Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) and the C.S. Mott Foundation convened the After School Evaluation Symposium, with over 100 researchers, evaluators, policymakers, and practitioners, in Washington, DC. The goal of the interactive 2-day meeting was to bring together the perspectives of diverse stakeholders to inspire…

The Academic Support Services Program (ASSP) provides funds to Massachusetts school districts to develop or enhance academic support for students in second through tenth grade who performed poorly on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) or on other standardized assessment measures. In 1999, the Massachusetts Education Reform…

Increasingly, out-of-school time programs are being asked to provide data that documents their progress and demonstrates their results. But for many OST programs and their over-worked staff this added responsibility is the "straw that broke the camel?s back." Across the country there is a cry from programs for help in deciding what to measure and…

Harvard Family Research Project's series of Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots distills the wealth of information compiled in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database into a single report. Each Snapshot examines a specific aspect of out-of-school time (OST) evaluation. This Snapshot provides an overview of how researchers are…

Harvard Family Research Project's series of Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots distills the wealth of information compiled in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database into a single report. Each Snapshot examines a specific aspect of out-of-school time (OST) evaluation. This Snapshot describes the common data collection methods used…

This brief offers a preliminary framework for understanding and implementing evaluations of out-of-school time (OST) programs professional development initiatives. In so doing, it draws on research from early childhood and elementary education and highlights the evaluation methods and results of recent OST professional development initiatives at…

Harvard Family Research Project's (HFRP) Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation briefs highlight current research and evaluation work in the out-of-school time field. These documents draw on HFRP's research work in out-of-school time in order to provide practitioners, funders, evaluators, and policymakers with information to…