Many out-of-school time programs want to learn more about how the children and youth they serve are faring. Outcome evaluations allow programs to do just that. This brief provides a basic review of outcome evaluations, discusses why they are important and when they are useful, and presents guidelines, strategies, and techniques for their use in…

This report examines young people's participation in career advice activities while at school and their perceptions of the usefulness of the advice they receive. The data are from the 2003 15 year-old cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). Most members of this LSAY Y03 cohort were in Year 10 in 2003. The present report…

This working paper explores contemporary research on the effectiveness of program models used in North America to assist English language learners (ELLs) to develop proficient English literacy. Implications will be drawn from the findings of this research and the paper will conclude with recommendations for practical application at the middle…

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

Harvard Family Research Project's Out-of-School Time (OST) Program Research and Evaluation Database and Bibliography provide accessible and timely information about research and evaluations involving OST programs and initiatives. This Research Update explores key themes emerging from 13 recent reports added to the OST Research and Evaluation…

Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), state education agencies are required to assume new roles and responsibilities. Among these is the establishment of a state system to support schools identified for improvement under the Act. Conceptualizing and operationalizing these systems of support has been a challenge for many state agencies, in part…

Retaining and aiding students on academic probation is a concern for all institutions of higher education. Students placed on academic probation by Rockingham Community College (RCC) have been encouraged to participate in an intervention program since the summer of 2006. When treated as an aggregate, the data regarding the program indicates that…

Researchers and policymakers are increasingly interested in the impact of afterschool programs on youth development. Even though numerous studies have investigated the impact of afterschool participation on academic outcomes, there is limited research on the differential impact of afterschool programs based on students' participation rate. This…

Accelerated middle schools are self-contained academic programs designed to help middle school students who are behind grade level catch up with their age peers. If these students begin high school with other students their age, the hope is that they will be more likely to stay in school and graduate. The programs serve students who are one to two…

To meet the assessment requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states must ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities, as well as provide for the appropriate use of assessment accommodations. Accommodations have been defined in a number of ways. In the Council of Chief…

Scaling Effective Programs is a category of giving that is quite unique. Philanthropists have many different interests that guide their giving, but Scaling Effective Programs offers an approach that can produce lasting transformation. This guide speaks to funders who: (1) view their giving as venture capital that stimulates other giving; (2) want…

Universities today need to become quicker on their toes. They must continually scan the environment and seize emerging opportunities--and institutional advancement must lead this effort. An unfortunate number of institutional advancement operations are ill equipped for the task at hand. Many suffer from high staff turnover and overly hierarchical…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate WIN A STEP UP, a workforce development program for nursing assistants (NAs) in nursing homes (NHs) involving continuing education by onsite trainers, compensation for education modules, supervisory skills training of frontline supervisors, and short-term retention contracts for bonuses and/or wage…

Study aim: To assess the performance of subjects engaged in health-directed Nordic Walking training (with poles) and subjected to 2-km walk test (no poles). Material and methods: A total of 72 subjects, including 8 men and 32 women aged 23-73 years and 32 female students aged 19-25 years participated in the study. They were subjected twice to 2-km…

This paper offers a fresh look at measurement-based assessment of learning at university level. The paper draws on a rich literature that informs what quality entails for our universities. The quality assessment measurement (QAM) scale used has been designed centering on six set of competency parameters: resources, teaching and learning, research,…