HFRP Out-of-School Time Publications
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.
^ Back to Top
Evaluating Municipal Out-of-School Time Initiatives—Learning
From the Field
For many cities, evaluating their out-of-school time (OST)
programming is uncharted territory. To inform municipal leaders
who are developing OST 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. The brief includes a summary table that provides
the size/scope of program, evaluation design, data collection
methods, and evaluation purposes for each evaluation included
in our review. An expansion of this brief, with recommendations
for the field, will be available in 2003.
^ Back to Top
The Evaluation Exchange Out-of-School Time Issues
The Evaluation Exchange is HFRP's quarterly evaluation periodical. Our
Fall 2000, Spring 2001, and Spring 2003 issues highlighted emerging issues in
the out-of-school time arena and featured articles by out-of-school time evaluators,
researchers, and practitioners. All three issues included a “New and Noteworthy”
guide to selected print- and Web-based after school resources. The Fall 2000
issue included an interview with leading out-of-school time researcher and advocate,
Michelle Seligson, the Spring 2001 issue included an interview with practitioner
and author, Jane Quinn, and the Spring 2003 issue had an interview with research
consultant, Michelle Gambone and included a special report on the implications
of the first year findings in Mathematica's evaluation of the national 21st
Century Community Learning Centers program.
Volume VI, No. 1, Fall 2000
Volume VII, No. 2, Spring 2001
Volume IX, No. 1 Spring 2003
Volume X, No. 1 Spring 2004
Volume XII, No. 1 & 2 Fall 2006
Subscribe to either the print or electronic
version of our periodical.
^ Back to Top
Federal Funding in Out-of-School Time with Accountability
Requirements and Evaluations
These Web documents were produced by HFRP as part of its initial efforts to
“map” the after school field, and detail federal funding streams for
after school programs and related programming alongside their accountability
requirements and evaluations. A summary section offers a narrative description
of each funding stream. Funding streams are classified as major or minor depending
on the amount of money they make available for out-of-school time efforts.
Major/Minor Funding
Sources Descriptions
Major/Minor Funding
Sources Facts
^ Back to Top
Findings From HFRP's Study of Predictors of Participation
in Out-of-School Time Activities: Fact Sheet
This Fact Sheet summarizes findings and implications from HFRP's recently completed
Study of Predictors of Participation in OST Activities. With funding from the
W.T. Grant Foundation, we examined the child, family, school, and neighborhood
predictors of children's participation in OST activities, paying special attention
to disadvantaged youth. The Fact Sheet highlights key findings for OST practitioners
and policymakers as they work to address issues of access and equity, document
service gaps, and target resources accordingly.
^ Back to Top
Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered
Practices in After School
This comprehensive, easy-to-read guide to understanding how to engage families
in after school programs is a critical resource for after school providers looking
to create or expand an existing family engagement program. Program leaders,
local decision makers, funders, and others interested in promoting good family
involvement practice in many different settings will also find the guide vital
to their work. It offers a research base for why family engagement matters,
concrete program strategies for engaging families, case studies of promising
family engagement efforts, and an evaluation tool for improving family engagement
practices.
^ Back to Top
Health and Sports/Recreation Program Evaluations
This resource is a compilation of the information available in our Out-of-School
Time Program Evaluation Bibliography and Database about evaluations of out-of-school
time programs related to health and sports/recreation.
Web version
^ Back to Top
The Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation
Series of Research Briefs
Youth Involvement in Evaluation & Research
Number 1, February 2002
The first in this series of research briefs on evaluation in out-of-school
time, this brief draws on information collected from focus group interviews
with representatives of 14 programs that are involving youth in their evaluation
and research efforts. It examines the elements of successful youth involved
research projects and offers short profiles of the 14 organizations included
in the study. 8 pages.
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
Evaluation of 21st Century Community Learning Center
Programs: A Guide for State Education Agencies
Number 2, April 2002
The second in this series of research briefs on evaluation in out-of-school
time, this brief offers an in-depth look at the new 21st Century Community Learning
Center evaluation requirements (both performance measurement for accountability
and program evaluation) and provides practical suggestions about how to implement
state and local 21st CCLC evaluation. It includes a checklist of issues to consider
when designing state and local 21st CCLC evaluation. 12 pages.
Addendum to brief (posted 4/17/02):
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
Documenting Progress and Demonstrating Results: Evaluating
Local Out-of-School Time Programs
Number 3, July 2002
We collaborated with the Finance Project
on the third in this series of research briefs on evaluation in out-of-school
time. This brief provides practitioners of local out-of-school time programs
with techniques, tools, and strategies for improving their program and tracking
its effectiveness over time. 47 pages.
There are no more hard copies of this brief available, but feel free to print
out the Acrobat version through the link above.
Beyond the Head Count: Evaluating Family Involvement in
Out-of-School Time
Number 4, August 2002
The fourth in this series of research briefs on evaluation in out-of-school
time, this brief offers an overview of how out-of-school time programs can evaluate
their family involvement strategies and practices. It draws on findings from
our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database,
interviews, and email correspondence. 15 pages.
There are no more hard copies of this brief available, but feel free to print
out the Acrobat version through the link above.
Why, When, and How to Use Evaluation: Experts Speak Out
Number 5, June 2003
The fifth in this series of research briefs on evaluation in out-of-school
time, this brief offers expert commentary on the implications of the
first-year report of the national evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning
Centers program for future evaluation and research. It includes a methodological
critique of that study, written by Deborah Vandell. 8 pages.
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
Moving Beyond the Barriers: Attracting and Sustaining
Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time Programs
Number 6, July 2004
This brief culls information from several implementation and impact evaluations
of out-of-school time programs to develop a set of promising strategies to attract
and sustain youth participation in the programs. 16 pages.
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
Understanding and Measuring Attendance in Out-of-School
Time Programs
Number 7, August 2004
This brief reviews developmental research and out-of-school time program evaluations
to examine three research-based indicators of attendance—intensity, duration,
and breadth—offering different models for how attendance in out-of-school
time programs can influence youth outcomes. 12 pages.
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
Promoting Quality Through Professional Development:
A Framework for Evaluation
Number 8, August 2004
Recognizing the critical role that staff play in promoting quality out-of-school
time (OST) programs, in this brief we examine OST professional development efforts
and offer a framework for their evaluation. 12 pages.
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
Summer Success: Challenges and Strategies in Creating
Quality Academically Focused Summer Programs
Number 9, October 2006
This brief looks at evaluations of 34 academically focused summer programs
in order to distill challenges and compile promising strategies for creating
quality summer programs. 14 pages.
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential
and What It Takes to Achieve It
Number 10, February 2008
This brief looks at 10 years of research on after school programs and finds
implications for the future of the after school field. 12 pages.
This brief is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to our publications
list to learn how to order it.
We will publish additional briefs in this series. If you would like to be
notified when they are available, sign up for our out-of-school
time updates email.
^ Back to Top
Learning From Logic Models in Out-of-School Time
A logic model can be a powerful tool for illustrating a program's
theory of change to program staff, partners, funders, and
evaluators. Moreover, a completed logic model provides a point
of reference against which progress towards achievement of
desired outcomes can be measured on an ongoing basis, both
through performance measurement and evaluation. This brief
offers an in-depth review of logic models and how to construct
them.
^ Back to Top
Leveraging Resources to Promote Positive School-CBO
Relationships
This article in the Spring 2004 edition of Afterschool Matters (pp.
15–23) uses information in our Out-of-School
Time Program Evaluation Database to examine how community-based organizations
and schools can work together to build and leverage resources in creating successful
after school programming.
Spring
2004 edition of Afterschool Matters
^ Back to Top
Organizations in Out-of-School Time
The out-of-school time field has grown rapidly over the past decade, with
a constant influx of new voices and approaches. Following is a summary, but
far from a complete review of organizations active in out-of-school time, grouped
by topical area. This review draws on HFRP's extensive mapping of the after
school field. Inclusion here should not be taken as an organizational endorsement.
Web version
^ Back to Top
Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots
This series of short publications distills the wealth of information compiled
in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation
Database, with each Snapshot examining a specific aspect of out-of-school
time evaluation.
A Review of Out-of-School Time Program Quasi-Experimental
and Experimental Evaluation Results
Number 1, July 2003
This Snapshot provides an overview of what the quasi-experimental and
experimental evaluations in the 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. 12 pages.
This Snapshot is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to
our publications list to
learn how to order it.
A Review of Activity Implementation in Out-of-School
Time Programs
Number 2, August 2003
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. 4 pages.
This Snapshot is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to
our publications list to
learn how to order it.
Performance Measures in Out-of-School Time
Evaluation
Number 3, March 2004
This Snapshot outlines the academic, youth development, and prevention
performance measures currently being used by out-of-school time programs to
assess their progress, and the corresponding data sources for these measures.
7 pages.
Engaging With Families in Out-of-School Time
Learning
Number 4, April 2004
This Snapshot provides an overview of how out-of-school time programs
are evaluating their engagement with families. 8 pages.
This Snapshot is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to
our publications list to
learn how to order it.
Detangling Data Collection: Methods for Gathering
Data
Number 5, August 2004
This Snapshot describes the common data collection methods used by current
out-of-school time programs to evaluate their implementation and outcomes. 6
pages.
This Snapshot is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to
our publications list to
learn how to order it.
Measurement Tools for Evaluating Out-of-School Time
Programs: An Evaluation Resource
Number 6, November 2005
This Snapshot describes instruments used by current out-of-school time
programs to evaluate their implementation and outcomes. 29 pages.
Harnessing Technology in Out-of-School Time Settings
Number 7, January 2006
This Snapshot describes the role of technology in OST programs, highlighting
the evaluation methods and findings about implementation and youth outcomes.
8 pages.
This Snapshot is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to
our publications list to
learn how to order it.
Learning From Small-Scale Experimental Evaluations
of After School Programs
Number 8, May 2006
This Snapshot reviews small-scale experimental evaluations of after
school programs, highlighting these studies' evaluation strategies and results.
8 pages.
This Snapshot is also available in hard copy for free. Please go to
our publications list to
learn how to order it.
We will publish additional Snapshots in this series through 2006.
If you would like to be notified when they are available, sign up for our out-of-school
time updates email.
^ Back to Top
Research Updates: Highlights From the Out-of-School
Time Database
This series of Research Updates provides key insights from each update to the
Out-of-School Time Program Research and Evaluation
Database. These Research Updates highlight new and innovative methods and
findings in the increasingly sophisticated, growing field of OST research and
evaluation.
Number 1, April 2007
This Research Update synthesizes findings from the profiles of 15 research
and evaluation reports added to the Out-of-School
Time Program Research and Evaluation Database in December 2006. It highlights
strategies for assessing program processes as well as key outcomes and features
of programs that promote positive outcomes.
Number 2, August 2007
This Research Update synthesizes findings from the profiles of 13 research
and evaluation reports added to the Out-of-School
Time Program Research and Evaluation Database in August 2007. It highlights
innovations and developments in the out-of-school time field and looks at the
important benefits out-of-school time programs can provide to youth, their families,
and their communities.
^ Back to Top
Selected Evaluation Terms
This resource provides definitions of commonly-used evaluation terminology.
It also provides answers to frequently asked evaluation questions (FAQ). The
FAQ section will be expanded, so check back periodically or you can sign
up to be notified of changes to the Out-of-School Time section of our website.
^ Back to Top
What Are Kids Getting Into These Days? Demographic
Differences in Youth Out-of-School Time Participation 
This research brief distills findings about demographic characteristics of
youth participants from the first phase of the study on youth participation
in out-of-school time programs and activities and includes implications for
practitioners, policymakers, and researchers.
^ Back to Top
Please check back soon for the addition of new resources or you can sign
up to be notified of changes to the Out-of-School Time section of our website.
|
