Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshot
Harnessing Technology in Out-of-School Time Settings
Number 7, January 2006
Christopher Wimer, Billy Hull, and Suzanne
Bouffard, Harvard Family Research Project
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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 and Bibliography into a single report. Each
Snapshot examines a specific aspect of out-of-school time (OST) evaluation.
This Snapshot reviews the role of technology in OST programs, highlighting
the evaluation methods and findings about implementation and youth outcomes.
For youth in the 21st century, aptitude with technology is a critical skill
and a way of life. Computers, the Internet, and multimedia tools pervade popular
culture and many educational settings. Their use will likely continue to grow
in importance in preparing youth for success in the workplace. In this context,
out-of-school time (OST) programs can serve as important settings for youth
to gain exposure to and knowledge of technology skills—as well as enjoyment,
engagement, and other benefits derived from using technology.
National studies show that a large percentage of youth have access to computers
and the Internet through locations outside the home, such as schools, public
libraries, and community centers.1
Though such settings may provide access to technology for those on the disadvantaged
end of the “digital divide”—that is, youth from low income and
minority families, who are less likely to have access to technology in their
homes—so far, very little research has explored questions about the ways
in which technology is used specifically in OST settings.2
Since low-income and minority youth are less likely than their peers to have
access to technology in their homes, it is critical to understand what role
technology is playing in youth’s lives in settings outside the home—such
as OST programs.
This Snapshot draws on information from Harvard Family Research Project’s
(HFRP) ongoing review of OST programs and their evaluations to provide an overview
of technology-focused programming in the nonschool hours. It culls information
from all of the programs and evaluations in HFRP’s Out-of-School Time Program
Evaluation Bibliography that focus on using technology. Specifically, this Snapshot
examines how OST programs and initiatives are utilizing technology, how these
programs and initiatives are being evaluated, and what implementation and outcomes
lessons can be learned from this set of evaluations. In addition, this Snapshot
illuminates some promising strategies for and challenges to incorporating technology
into OST programs.
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Harvard Family Research Project Out-of-School Time Program
Evaluation Bibliography
The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) Out-of-School
Time Program Evaluation Bibliography (www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/bibliography)
contains citations for all the out-of-school time (OST) program evaluations
that HFRP is currently tracking. The bibliography currently contains entries
for 315 programs and provides basic program information as well as links
to relevant evaluation reports. Some of the evaluations listed in the
bibliography have been profiled in more detail and added to our Out-of-School
Time Program Evaluation Database, which provides accessible information
about OST programs and their previous and current evaluations to support
the development of high quality evaluations and programs in the OST field.
Categorization of Programs in the Bibliography
Programs are categorized by program type. Program type can refer to a
method of service delivery or a primary program goal. For example, a program
promoting health (a program goal) might use recreational activities to
achieve this goal (service delivery). The categories are not mutually
exclusive, and the categories that are most applicable to a particular
program (with a maximum of three, although more may apply) are listed
in parentheses following the program description.
The Scan for This Snapshot
For this review, we scanned all program evaluations listed under the program
type “Science/Technology/Mathematics.” Programs that focused
on science or mathematics but did not include a focus on technology were
excluded from this analysis. In addition, one report from a program not
categorized as “Science/Technology/Math” was included, given
a primary focus in the report on the role of technology in the OST program,
despite the fact that “Science/Technology/Math” was not among
the top three program type categorizations for this program. Using this
methodology, 30 evaluation reports of 19 OST programs or initiatives were
identified for review. See the appendix for information
on the specific programs and evaluations included.
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Using Technology to Support Learning & Development
OST programs are natural contexts to support complementary learning—that
is, the array of nonschool supports that work with schools and other community-based
organizations to promote learning and development.3
Using technology in OST programs is one mechanism for complementary learning
in that technology can provide a vehicle for supporting school-day learning.
Teachers and parents have used technology such as educational software as a
tool for learning during the nonschool hours for many years. OST programs use
technology in some of the same ways and in a variety of additional ways. There
are four primary approaches that OST programs use to integrate technology into
their programs in order to support learning and development:
1. Using software packages for educational remediation and skill building
– Many OST programs utilize technology to help participating youth with
remediation of academic deficits or enhancement of academic skills, primarily
through the use of specially designed educational software.
The District of Columbia 21st Century Community Learning Centers, for example,
utilize two software programs, one for reading skills and one for math skills,
during their summer program. The reading program is for remedial reading, while
the math program contains more enrichment activities. Similarly, Fifth Dimension,
a program devoted to enhancing the academic preparedness of youth in California,
uses computer games and software, such as the Carmen San Diego and Magic School
Bus series, to help children master knowledge and academic skills.
2. Integrating technology and multimedia into project-based learning
– Some OST programs draw on a diverse array of multimedia tools, such as
computer games, websites, and digital video, to enhance participants’ learning
and provide enrichment, often through project-based learning activities.
For instance, in the Discovery Youth program at the San Jose Children’s
Museum, older youth use multimedia technology, including digital video equipment
and video editing software, to create health education materials for younger
youth. Likewise, in the South Bay Project, a collaboration of school and community
institutions providing after school services to youth in low-performing San
Diego schools, youth create simple computer games, electronic portfolios, and
multimedia Web pages to learn about computer programming.
3. Creating community technology centers – Some OST initiatives
provide new or existing programs with technological resources and related peripherals
to install technology centers within an OST program.
For example, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Project Connect
provided Clubs with a diverse array of technological resources—including
computers with Microsoft Windows NT operating software, Internet access, laser
printers, a digital video camera, a scanner, software programs, and technical
support and training—to enhance the existing programming at these sites.
Similarly, the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network is an initiative aiming to create
over 100 community technology “clubhouses” by providing community
centers with 3-D imaging software, digital video recording and editing tools,
and music recording and mixing equipment to provide underserved youth with increased
access to technology.
4. Providing technology-focused mentoring and career development opportunities
– Using technology to stimulate interest in science, engineering, and technology-related
careers is another approach to integrating technology in OST programs. Often
this is done by allowing youth to explore technology in the context of mentoring
relationships with successful adults in such careers.
For instance, the Minority Pre-Engineering Mentor Program provided youth with
several weeks of job shadowing at the Boeing Military Airplane Company in order
to help them learn how technology is used in the workplace. The Girls Math and
Technology Program enlisted professional women as guest speakers to discuss
the use of math and technology in their jobs in order to increase girls’
interest in related careers.
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Spotlight on the Martin Luther King, Jr. After-School
Program: How One Program Uses Technology
The Martin Luther King, Jr. After-School Program
(MLK) is a local community-based program providing middle and high school
youth in Dorchester, Massachusetts, with the opportunity to learn technology
skills through the study of Afrocentric topics. MLK utilizes the software
program Encarta Africana 2000, a CD-ROM encyclopedia on Africa and the
African diaspora.
Encarta Africana 2000, released in 1999 and edited by Henry
Louis Gates, Jr. and K. Anthony Appiah, exposes youth to content on such
subjects as ancient and medieval kingdoms in Africa, the transatlantic
slave trade, and the lives of African Americans in the U.S. through the
Civil Rights Movement. It consists of an electronic compendium of information
about the Black world, with many articles, photos, videos, sound recordings,
and other media features on Afrocentric topics, as well as a “library
of Black America” containing fully searchable texts of over 100 books
written by African and African Americans between 1773 and 1919.
The MLK program also provides participating youth with access
to a variety of technology products, including Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing,
Roxio Easy CD Creator, Adobe PhotoShop, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint,
and HTML resources.
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Evaluations of Technology-Focused OST Programs
Evaluation Questions
Although the sample of OST programs and initiatives all use technology in a
variety of ways, most evaluations of these programs identified a common set
of both formative/process4
and summative/outcome5
questions related to their use of technology. Some of the most common formative
questions included the following:
- What were the most successful aspects of utilizing technology?
- What were the major challenges and barriers programs faced when implementing
technology?
- How did youth experience their interactions with technology (e.g., which
aspects did they find useful and engaging and which aspects less so)?
Other formative questions involved the quality of technological equipment and
the quality and frequency of technology-related technical assistance.
The majority of summative questions related to the academic and developmental
impacts of technology and technology-related programming. A number of evaluations
also examined impacts on youth’s interest in technology and technology-related
careers. The studies of community technology centers tended to ask different
summative questions about the impact of technology on sites’ programming
at large, such as whether the technology impacted youth attendance at more traditional
programming and whether technology improved programs’ content and efficiency.
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Spotlight on the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum’s
Discovery Youth: How One Technology Program Was Evaluated
In the 2nd year of Discovery Youth (DY), evaluators
collected data from youth, staff, and parents to address the following
six questions:
- How has the DY increased the self-confidence of youth participants
through the program activities?
- Have youth built important relationships with their peers and the
adult staff?
- Have youth improved their knowledge of media, technology, project
management, and communication?
- Do youth feel as though they are resources for their community?
- What are parental perceptions toward the DY program?
- What has been the experience of program staff during the program year?
To answer these questions, evaluators administered five
rounds of surveys and questionnaires over the 2003–2004 program year
to 35 DY youth, measuring changes in youth’s learning and sentiments.
Ten youth participated in focus groups about their experiences in the
program, changes in self-esteem, and interactions with staff, peers, and
communities. A group evaluation exercise was conducted in which groups
of four to five youth responded to open-ended questions about the program’s
strengths and weaknesses and what they learned in the program. Parents
were interviewed and surveyed about their impressions of DY and of whether
their children’s self-confidence and knowledge of the program materials
increased. Finally, staff were surveyed to provide a comprehensive review
of the program.
For the full profile of this evaluation, see the Harvard
Family Research Project Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database
at www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/evaldatabase.html.
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Evaluation Methodologies
Across the set of technology-focused program evaluations, three types of research
designs were used. These evaluation designs, along with the data collection
methods used in each, are described below.
Most of the evaluations consisted of implementation studies. It is not surprising,
then, that most utilized nonexperimental research designs, which typically use
purposive sampling to get “information-rich” cases—for example,
through case studies, ethnographic studies, participatory approaches, or data
collection and reporting for accountability.6
Data collection methods for the implementation studies included (a) observations
of program sites and activities; (b) interviews, focus groups, and surveys with
youth, staff, and other stakeholders; and (c) reviews of program documents and
data. Many of the nonexperimental studies also assessed program impacts through
the same data collection methods, by analyzing evaluators’ observations
of program activities and by asking youth and other stakeholders (e.g., staff)
about their perceptions of how the programming impacted youth’s lives.
A smaller set of evaluations included a quasi-experimental design component,
primarily through the use of pretests and posttests with youth who participated
in the program. These evaluations typically collected responses to survey questions
or tests and assessments before the program began and at one or more points
after the program ended. For example, the Minority Pre-Engineering Mentor Program
evaluation administered an instrument assessing youth participants’ career
maturity at both the beginning and end of the summer program to determine whether
participants developed such skills as more decisiveness about career decisions
following their program participation.
Only one initiative, Fifth Dimension, utilized a quasi-experimental design
that compared program participants to a group of nonparticipants. Four separate
studies of Fifth Dimension programs evaluated program impact with this evaluation
design. All four collected assessments of various skills from both participants
and nonparticipants to estimate program impacts.
No studies in this review utilized an experimental design—that is, a study
in which youth are randomly assigned to participate or not participate.
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Spotlight on Fifth Dimension: One Technology Program’s
Evaluation of Youth Outcomes
The quasi-experimental studies of Fifth Dimension/University–Community
Links attempted to infer a causal connection between program participation
and youth outcomes through the use of nonrandomly assigned comparison
groups. The fact that these groups were not randomly assigned may have
either masked or exaggerated program effects. In addition, all of the
studies relied on very small samples, which also may have masked actual
program effects. It should also be noted that these studies each drew
on one program site and one technology approach, thus limiting the generalizability
of the findings. With these caveats in mind, findings were as follows:
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Boone, North Carolina, Fifth Dimension – Program youth
scored higher than a comparison group on both reading and math achievement
tests. (The comparison group was “matched,” or similar to
program participants, on the basis of classroom and gender.)
-
Club Proteo Fifth Dimension Study #1 – Program youth
performed better on a cognitive assessment called Puzzle Tanks and
used more sophisticated problem solving strategies than a comparison
group. (The comparison group was matched on the basis of English language
proficiency classification, grade level, and gender.)
-
Club Proteo Fifth Dimension Study #2 – Program youth
performed better on a Word Problem Comprehension Test than a matched
comparison group, even when the two groups had similar pretest scores.•
Boys & Girls Club of Escondido, California, Fifth Dimension –
Fifth Dimension “experts” outperformed Fifth Dimension “novices”
on recall of both technology and Fifth Dimension-related words. There
were no group differences, however, on general memory processing or
speed of recall for nontechnology and non-Fifth-Dimension words.
For the full profile of this evaluation, see the Harvard
Family Research Project Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database
at www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/evaldatabase.html.
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Impact of Technology on Learning & Development
Many program evaluations based their conclusions about youth outcomes on nonexperimental
site visits and interviews with youth and staff. These studies generally reported
that stakeholders found the program valuable and that the program helped youth
learn new skills and enhanced their development, including knowledge of and
comfort with technology, improved social skills, and development of technological
skills.
Similarly, the quasi-experimental pretest/posttest studies documented improvements
in a number of areas, primarily comfort and facility with technology, confidence,
and technology-related interests and skills. Lastly, the quasi-experimental
comparison-group studies of Fifth Dimension programs reported a number of positive
youth outcomes, including better problem solving strategies, increased word
comprehension, and higher achievement test scores.
Implementation Challenges & Successes
While the evidence that incorporating technology into OST programs can yield
positive participant gains is somewhat limited, evaluations to date do shed
light on some program implementation challenges that affect the capacity of
programs to impact those gains. The evaluations in this review reveal a set
of common challenges to and successes in implementing technology-focused OST
programming.
1. Technology has the power to engage youth. By most accounts, youth
seem especially drawn to working with technology, and program stakeholders frequently
reported that the implementation of technology-focused programming helped to
attract and engage youth.
For example, the South Bay Project’s youth participants were drawn to
the fun and playful learning environment created by technology-focused activities,
and observations and interviews revealed that youth who were doing poorly in
school excelled in their multimedia projects at the program. Engaging youth
was not always easy, however. Common challenges included (a) engaging older
youth in the programming, (b) keeping software-based programming “fresh”
since youth may become bored using the same software repeatedly, and (c) finding
technology programming that is of interest to diverse groups of youth.
2. Staffing for technology-focused programs is challenging. Evaluations
frequently revealed staffing-related concerns, especially in recruiting and
retaining technology-savvy staff in the context of limited program budgets and
existing staffing problems.
For instance, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. After-School Program, staff attrition
was a challenge, given the program’s demands for technological expertise.
The evaluation of NYC FIRST!, a program engaging youth in building robots, also
noted that the program faced challenges in maintaining staff with technology
expertise but was successful in retaining staff who were interested in and dedicated
to engaging youth with technology. A number of programs also utilized volunteers
such as college students and professionals in technology-related careers to
bring the requisite technological expertise and dedication to the programs’
missions.
3. Technology-focused programs require a commitment to infrastructure maintenance.
A number of evaluations reported that once programs implemented technology-focused
programming, they were challenged to develop the ability to deal with technology-related
problems. Common problems included maintaining Internet connectivity and hardware
performance and updating and repairing technological equipment.
The InfoLink program found that it had to constantly maintain access to well-equipped
computer labs and the most advanced software in order to provide a quality program.
To meet these challenges, some programs, such as the District of Columbia 21st
Century Community Learning Centers, developed a system of technical assistance
to monitor and assist with such difficulties.
4. Programs need to determine the balance among technology, enrichment,
and academics. Another challenge was getting the right “mix” of
programming for youth and balancing technology-related educational goals with
fun and enrichment.
Discovery Youth, in which older youth use multimedia technology to construct
health-related educational materials for younger children, found that it was
a challenge to balance youth’s desire to focus on the program’s video
technology with the program’s goals of developing knowledge about health
topics and research. The evaluation of the District of Columbia 21st Century
Community Learning Centers, which used computers and software to build reading
and math skills, revealed that youth found the more remedial reading programs
boring and repetitious and that as a result, some youth were not engaged in
the programming. In the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, one of the community
technology center programs, the initiative’s goals of providing enriching,
fun, and hands-on learning activities sometimes conflicted with staff and local
stakeholders’ goals of using technology to help schools meet academic standards.
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Spotlight on Jobs for Youth—Boston PLATO Summer
Transition Program: Learning From One Technology Program’s Implementation
Study
Jobs for Youth—Boston PLATO Summer Transition Program
provides ninth graders at Madison Park Alternative High School in Boston,
Massachusetts, who failed the citywide public schools’ math or reading
test, with supplemental instruction using specially designed computer
instruction software called PLATO. In 2000 and 2001, evaluators collected
surveys and interviews from teachers working in the program, other program
staff, and youth participants to understand what lessons could be learned
about the program’s implementation. Findings from this component
of the evaluation included:
-
Teachers and youth both expressed high levels of satisfaction with
the PLATO software. Some challenges arose, however, because of the
lengthiness of PLATO assessments and the redundancy of some items
in the software’s drills and mastery tests.
-
Hardware capabilities were critical to PLATO’s successful implementation.
There were some problems with screens freezing or looping. PLATO’s
Help Desk dealt with such technical difficulties.
-
Staff needed significant amounts of training to successfully deal
with hardware and software issues and to utilize the technology most
effectively for youth’s instruction.
-
Multiple staff members were necessary to simultaneously handle technical
difficulties, give youth appropriate help, and monitor behavior in
the computer lab.
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Moving Technology-Focused Programming Forward
Technology can enhance OST programs in a variety of ways—as a tool for
attracting and retaining youth, as a mechanism to build program infrastructure,
and as a means to promote learning and development in the nonschool hours. Existing
technology-focused programs are diverse in their settings, approaches, and goals.
However, evaluations of these programs and initiatives identify a common set
of emerging themes. Implementation and maintenance of such programs clearly
provide some challenges unique to technology-focused programming, including
special staffing, maintenance, and programming issues.
In addition, many evaluations have documented stakeholder satisfaction with
the programs and presented evidence that youth may be benefiting from their
participation in areas such as career development, youth development, and academic
attitudes and skills. As with other aspects of OST programming, to fully understand
the impact of the growing use of technology on OST programs and their participants,
programs will need to continue to collect implementation information but ramp
up their efforts to better understand outcomes. Future evaluations should also
take into account the diversity of technology-focused programming in order to
provide useable information about meeting implementation challenges and identifying
the program characteristics that contribute to the effectiveness of these programs
for youth.
Notes
1 US Department of
Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, National Telecommunications
and Information Administration. (2002). A nation online: How Americans are
expanding their use of the Internet. Washington, DC: Author. www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/html/anationonline2.htm
2 Hall, G., & Israel,
L. (2004). Using technology to support academic achievement for at-risk teens
during out-of-school time: Literature review. Newton, MA: America Connects
Consortium, Education Development Center.
3 Learn more about
complementary learning at www.complementarylearning.org.
4 Formative evaluations
are conducted during program implementation in order to provide information
that will strengthen or improve the program, for example, about how services
are provided or about how many youth participate.
5 Summative evaluations
are conducted either during or at the end of a program’s implementation
and assess whether a program is effective or has achieved its intended outcomes.
6 Little, P. M. D.,
Dupree, S., & Deich, S. (2002). Documenting progress and demonstrating
results: Evaluating local out-of-school time programs. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
Family Research Project. www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/resources/index.html#local
Acknowledgements
This Snapshot is based on a review of the Harvard Family Research Project
Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Bibliography, which is supported by grants
from the C. S. Mott Foundation and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The principal
investigator for this study is Dr.
Heather B. Weiss. The authors wish to thank Priscilla
Little and Erin Harris for their
thoughtful review.
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Additional Resources on Using Technology in OST
Education Development Center’s (EDC) Center for Children and
Technology investigates the role that technology can play in improving
teaching and learning inside and outside the classroom. The Center designs
and develops technology applications that support engaged, active learning
in formal and informal settings. The Center also evaluates educational
initiatives, projects, and programs; conducts basic, applied, formative,
and partnership research in collaboration with educational, corporate,
government, and research institutions; consults organizations planning
to launch new educational ventures; and develops new programs or boost
existing ones. www2.edc.org/CCT
Afterschool & Technology Section of EDC’s YouthLearn Website
links to current projects, model programs, and resources within the YouthLearn
site meant to aid the after school practitioner in developing both technology-supported
and content-rich curriculum. www.youthlearn.org/afterschool
EDC’s YouthLearn designed The YouthLearn Guide: A Creative
Approach to Working With Youth and Technology to be an easy-to-use,
hands-on manual with more than 160 pages of lessons, worksheets, and sample
activities on how to set up a new learning program or enhance an existing
one. The guide seeks to help practitioners combine new technologies and
proven teaching techniques in ways that will make their work more rewarding
for practitioners and the children they serve. www.youthlearn.org/guide
The paper Children Learning With Technology Beyond the School
Bell and Building: What Do We Know Now? considers what we know
now about children learning with technology in school—beyond the
bell—by participating in before school and after school programs
and summer school, and beyond the school building in community technology
centers and public libraries. In these four settings, the following questions
are addressed about children learning with technology: (a) What technology
can children use to learn? (b) How do children use technology to learn?
and (c) What difference does using technology make for the children? www.ncrel.org/tech/child
The fall 2004 issue of The Evaluation Exchange on Harnessing
Technology for Evaluation explores the contribution of technology
to evaluation practice, with articles centering on four key areas in which
evaluators are using technology: data collection and analysis, collaboration,
knowledge mobilization, and evaluation capacity building. Rounding out
the issue is a special feature on the role technology plays in fostering
youth civic engagement and in evaluating programs for youth. www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue27
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Appendix: Programs and Evaluations Included in the
Review
| Program |
References |
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21st Century Community Learning Centers—District of Columbia
This program, begun in 1999 and completed in 2002, included after school,
summer, and weekend programs for youth in Washington, D.C.
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Liu, M., Russell, V., Chaplin, D., Raphael, J., Fu, H., & Anthony,
E. (2002). Using technology to improve academic achievement in out-of-school-time
programs in Washington, DC Washington, DC: Urban Institute. www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=410578
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Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s Project Connect
Initiated in 1999 in a small number of Boys & Girls Clubs across
the country, this pilot program was designed to test the feasibility of
installing computer centers in Clubs nationwide. These Clubs provided
enhanced access to technology, educational software, and the Internet.
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Henriquez, A., & Ba, H. (2000). Project Connect: Bridging the
digital divide—Final evaluation report. New York: Center for
Children & Technology, Educational Development Center. www2.edc.org/CCT/admin/publications/
report/pc_bdd00.pdf
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Discovery Youth
Initiated in 2001, this after school program gives 10- to 14-year-olds
in San Jose, California, the chance to develop multimedia projects that
promote healthy behaviors to other audiences, especially younger peers.
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Gilbert, D. (2002). Looking back and looking ahead: A formative evaluation
of Discovery Youth at San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum. San
Jose, CA: San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum.
Moghadam, S. H. (2004). An evaluation of the San Jose Children’s
Discovery Museum after school and weekend program. Oakland, CA: ASSESS.
www.cdm.org/p/viewPage.asp?mlid=159
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Fifth Dimension/University–Community Links
Begun in 1986, this after school programming approach is used by Boys
and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, recreation centers, and public schools
in several countries, including the US, with a special focus in California.
It provides a way to increase the educational programming of such institutions
without substantially increasing the costs of operation.
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Blanton, W. E., Moorman, G. B., Hayes, B. A., & Warner, M. L. (1997).
Effects of participation in the Fifth Dimension on far transfer. Journal
of Educational Computing Research, 16, 371–396. 129.171.53.1/blantonw/5dClhse/
publications/tech/effects/effects.html
Schustack, M. W., Strauss, R., & Worden, P. E. (1997). Learning about
technology in a non-instructional environment. Journal of Educational
Computing Research, 16, 337–352.
Mayer, R. E., Quilici, J., Moreno, R., Durán, R., Woodbridge,
S., Simon, R., et al. (1997). Cognitive consequences of participation
in a Fifth Dimension afterschool computer club. Journal of Educational
Computing Research, 16, 353–369. 129.171.53.1/blantonw/5dClhse/
publications/tech/Mayer-Duran.html
Mayer, R. E., Quilici, J. H., & Moreno, R. (1999). What is learned
in an after-school computer club? Journal of Educational Computing
Research, 20, 223–235.
Sturak, T. L. (2000). Evaluation of Expedition: Computers and archaeology
after school. Berkeley: University of California at Berkeley, Interactive
University Project. www.mactia.berkeley.edu/aop/activity/
expedition.pdf
Sturak, T. L. (2001). Expedition—Computers and archaeology after
school: Year-end report, 2000–2001. Berkeley: University of California
at Berkeley, Interactive University Project.
|
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Girls Math and Technology Program
Initiated in 1998, this residential summer camp in northern Nevada is
designed to impact middle school girls’ attitudes and perceived abilities
in mathematics and technology.
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Wiest, L. (2003). The impact of a summer mathematics and technology
program for middle school girls. Reno, NV: Author.
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InfoLink
In operation from 1994 to 2002 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this intensive
summer program provided low-income high school students with information
technology and professional development skills, experience, and confidence
to improve their long-term educational and occupational attainment.
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Nelson, C. A., Post, J., & Bickel, B. (2002). InfoLink final evaluation
report: Building confidence and aspirations in low income high school
students through a technology and workforce skills development program:
Lessons learned from the InfoLink experience, 1994–2002. Pittsburgh,
PA: InfoLink of Southwestern Pittsburgh. itclass.heinz.cmu.edu/infolink2003/
InfoLink03/docs/Lessons_Learned.pdf
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Intel Computer Clubhouse Network
Begun in 2000, this national program encourages young people to use technology-rich
environments to construct artifacts, explore ideas, and creatively express
themselves in collaboration with peers and local mentors.
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Pryor, T., Culp, K. M., Lutz, S., & John, K. (2001). Evaluation
of the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, year 1. New York: Center
for Children and Technology, Education Development Center. www2.edc.org/cct/
publications_report_summary.asp?
numPubId=46
Pryor, T., Culp, K. M., Lavine, M., & Hochman, J. (2002). Evaluation
of the Intel Computer Clubhouse, year 2 report. New York: Center for
Children and Technology, Education Development Center. www2.edc.org/cct/
publications_report_summary.asp?
numPubId=79
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Jobs for Youth—Boston PLATO Summer Transition Program
This program, initiated in 2000, provides ninth grade students in Boston,
Massachusetts, who failed the citywide public schools’ math or reading
test, with supplemental instruction using specially designed computer
instruction software called PLATO.
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Quinn, D. W., & Quinn, N. W. (2001). PLATO learning evaluation
series: Jobs for Youth, Madison Park Alternative High School, Boston,
Massachusetts. Bloomington, MN: PLATO Learning. www.plato.com/downloads/
evaluations/madison.pdf
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Kids Learning in Computer Klubhouses (KLICK!)
Begun in 1999, this consortium of 10 middle school after school computer
clubhouses across Michigan provides safe and engaging learning opportunities
to students during the out-of-school hours.
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Zhao, Y., Mishra, P., & Girod, M. (2000). A clubhouse is a clubhouse
is a clubhouse. Computers in Human Behavior, 16(3), 287–300.
citeseer.ist.psu.edu/cache/papers/cs/
13618/http:zSzzSzpunya.educ.msu.
eduzSzpubszSzprintzSzclubhouse.pdf/
a-clubhouse-is-a.pdf
Garner, R., & Zhao, Y. (2000). Afterschool centers in four rural
communities in Michigan. Computers in Human Behavior. 16(3), 301–311.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. After-School Program
This after school technology project in Dorchester, Massachusetts, for
middle and high school students uses the Encarta Africana 2000 (a CD-ROM
encyclopedia of Africa and its Diaspora) as the core of the curriculum.
The goal of the program is to teach technology skills through the study
of Afrocentric topics.
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Goldsmith, L., & Sherman, A. (2002). Evaluation of the pilot year
of the Martin Luther King, Jr. After-School Program. Newton, MA: Education
Development Center.
Matzko, M. (2002). An evaluation study of the Martin Luther King,
Jr. After-School Program. Somerville, MA: Brett Consulting Group.
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Minority Pre-Engineering Mentor Program
This summer program in Wichita, Kansas, involves high school juniors
in science, math, and engineering workshops and offers tutorials in note
taking, calculator use, and computer usage and programming, as well as
a job shadowing internship at the Boeing Military Airplane Company. The
program is designed to increase minority participation in math, science,
and engineering.
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Dunn, C. W., & Veltman, G. C. (1989). Addressing the restrictive
career maturity patterns of minority youth: A program evaluation. Journal
of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 17, 156–165.
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Missouri 4-H and Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
After School Computer Lab Project
Begun in 1998, this project assists Missouri schools and other community
organizations in developing computer-based after school programs for elementary
through junior high school youth. The primary purpose is to create a supervised
and supportive environment that encourages youth to play computer games
that have positive educational content.
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Benesh, C., & Pabst, B. (2003). Playing to learn: An evaluation
of the participation of upper elementary and middle school students in
Missouri recreational computer lab programs. Columbia, MO: University
of Missouri Columbia Outreach & Extension. 4h.missouri.edu/go/projects/computer/
labs
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NYC FIRST!
Implemented in 1998, this program in New York City is typically run as
either an after school or weekend program. FIRST is a national organization
that engages middle and high school students, working with adult coaches
and mentors, in researching, designing, and building robots and participating
in games of skill and strategy meant to transfer the enthusiasm youth
feel for athletics to the fields of math, science, and engineering.
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Jeffers, L. (2003). Evaluation of NYC FIRST! New York: Center
for Children and Technology, Educational Development Center. www2.edc.org/CCT/
publications_report_summary.asp?
numPubId=141
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PowerUP
Founded in 1999, this program’s mission is to ensure that America’s
underserved youth acquire the skills, experiences, and resources to succeed
in the digital age. PowerUP provides technology, funding, training, and
technical assistance to local PowerUP centers, which foster positive development
among youth during after school, evening, and weekend hours.
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Vesneski, W., Skinner, N., & Schneider, L. (2002). PowerUP evaluation
report. Seattle, WA: The Evaluate Group.
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SECME RISE (Raising Interest in Science & Engineering)
Begun in 1998, this 3-year program aimed to increase middle school girls’
self-esteem and confidence in learning mathematics and science, therefore
reducing the attrition in advanced level mathematics and science coursework
that occurs as girls move from middle school to high school.
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Jarvis, C. (1999). SECME RISE Raising Interest in Science & Engineering:
Year one progress report. Miami, FL: Miami Museum of Science. www.miamisci.org/rise/report1.html
Jarvis, C. (1999). SECME RISE Raising Interest in Science & Engineering:
Year two progress report. Miami, FL: Miami Museum of Science. www.miamisci.org/rise/report2.html
Jarvis, C. (2002). SECME RISE Raising Interest in Science & Engineering:
Final evaluation report, September 1, 1998–August 31, 2001. Miami,
FL: Miami Museum of Science.
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South Bay Project
This collaboration of school and community institutions provides K–12
students in low-performing schools in San Diego, California, with computer-integrated
activities after school. The program provides computer-mediated activities
combining play with academically rigorous learning in a low-surveillance,
collaborative learning environment.
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Tripp, L. M. (2002). Trying to bend the bars of the iron cage: A case
study of a K–12 partnership. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
University of California, San Diego.
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STUDIO 3D
Initiated in 2000, this after school outreach program provides access
for 10- to 18-year-olds living in low-income, inner-city neighborhoods
in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, to equipment, software, and adult
mentors to support them in learning and applying advanced digital design
technologies.
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Volkov, B. B., & King, J. A. (2003). Report of STUDIO 3D project
evaluation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Department of Educational
Policy and Administration, Evaluation Studies Program. www.smm.org/studio3d/mission.html
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Technology-Rich Virtual Community After School Class
This program, implemented in 2001, creates technology-rich activities
and experiences for an after school class in science and technology for
middle school girls from a low socioeconomic urban neighborhood. The program
was designed to create a virtual community of practice whose members used
science in diverse ways.
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Edwards, L. D. (2002). Creating a virtual community of practice to
investigate legitimate peripheral participation by African American middle
school girls in science activities. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
University of Colorado, Boulder.
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University of Virginia’s Summer Enrichment Program Invention
and Design
Initiated in 1994, this is a 3-week summer invention and design course
in Charlottesville, Virginia, for high school students.
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Plucker, J. A., & Gorman, M. E. (1999). Invention is in the mind
of the adolescent: Effects of a summer course one year later. Creativity
Research Journal, 12(2), 141–150.
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