Where Can You Go for Help on Afterschool Issues? (continued)

Websites and Resources

Le Menestrel, S., and Dennehy, J., Building a Skilled and Stable Workforce: Results of an Online Survey of Out-of- School Time Professionals, Academy of Educational Development Center for Youth Development and Policy Research and the National Institute on Out-of- School Time. http://niost.skeeydev.net/clearinghouse/ execsumbsw.asp

Bowman, Darcia Harris. “Afterschool Programs Proliferate; Funding, Staffing Seen as Problems.” Education Week 21, 3 (September 19, 2001): 6.

National Institute on Out-of-School Time. “Building a Skilled and Stable Workforce for After School Programs.” www.wcwonline.org/archive/niostbuild. html

Walker, K. E., Grossman, J. B., and Raley, R. Extended-Service Schools: Putting Programming in Place. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures, 2000. 83 pages.

Evaluation

As the numbers of afterschool programs have expanded and more and more districts turn to the federal government or other outside sources for funding streams, the need for evaluation of program outcomes has become critical. Funders and policymakers don’t wish to waste valuable resources on programs that aren’t working; neither, for that matter, do school leaders! In fact, school districts that are current or potential grantees of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers already know that the evaluation process is mandated for those resources.

But evaluating the outcomes of afterschool programs is markedly different than evaluating the outcomes of the normal school day. Perhaps because of the newness of the field, there is still much to learn about afterschool best practices, program implementation, cost effectiveness and program impact.

The Harvard Family Research Project’s (HFRP) Issues and Opportunities in Out-of- School Time Evaluation briefs are short, user-friendly documents that 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 help inform their work. In addition to these briefs, HFRP has launched a set of short, user-friendly “snapshots” of methods, evaluation approaches, indicators and findings.

The Project’s evaluation periodical, The Evaluation Exchange, addresses current issues facing program evaluators of all levels. Designed as an ongoing discussion among evaluators, program practitioners, funders, and policymakers, The Evaluation Exchange highlights innovative methods and approaches to evaluation, emerging trends in evaluation practice, and practical applications of evaluation theory. The periodical is free of charge to subscribers.

An-Me Chung and Eugene Hillsman of the C.S. Mott Foundation pointed out in an article in the May 2005 edition of The School Administrator that much research remains to be done in supporting continuous improvement and identifying effective afterschool practices and programs. Examples of future research include:

• What are the processes behind how activity participation and student outcomes influence each other? Given the increasing interest and time devoted to academic activities, what is the magnitude of impact that might be reasonable to expect?
• How much program participation is enough to produce beneficial outcomes for participants?
• What program qualities are associated with student outcomes? How do we measure, assess, and develop programs to improve a range of outcomes for participants?
• Many of the existing studies are examining one program at one point in time. More rigorous research designs such as experimental, quasi-experimental, and longitudinal studies are needed to truly understand the impact of afterschool programs. Measuring impacts should be considered only after programs have had an opportunity to appropriately implement activities.

Websites and Resources

A Decade of Results: The Impact of the LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program on Subsequent Student Achievement and Performance. LA’s BEST and the UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation, June 2000. www.lasbest.org/resourcecenter/ uclaeval.pdf

Grossman, J., Price, M., Fellerath, V., Jucovy, L., Kotloff, L., Raley, R., and Walker, K. Multiple Choices Afterschool: Findings From the Extended-Service Schools Initiative, a report of an evaluation conducted by Public/Private Ventures (PPV) and Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), June 2002. www.mdrc.org/ publications/48/abstract.html

Larner, M B.; L. Zippiroli; and R. E. Behrman. “When School Is Out: Analysis and Recommendations.” The Future of Children 9 (1999): 4-20. The Effectiveness of Out-of-School-Time Strategies in Assisting Low-Achieving Students in Reading and Mathematics: A Research Synthesis, McREL, December 2003. www.mcrel.org/PDF/ SchoolImprovementReform/5032RR_ RSOSTeffectiveness.pdf