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Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation Briefs

After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It

Number 10, February 2008

Priscilla M. D. Little, Christopher Wimer, and Heather B. Weiss, Harvard Family Research Project

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 to provide practitioners, funders, evaluators, and policymakers with information to help them in their work. This brief looks at 10 years of research on after school programs and finds implications for the future of the after school field.

This research brief draws on seminal research and evaluation studies to address two primary questions: (a) Does participation in after school programs make a difference, and, if so (b) what conditions appear to be necessary to achieve positive results? The brief concludes with a set of questions to spur conversation about the evolving role of after school in efforts to expand time and opportunities for children and youth in the 21st century.


Download the full brief:

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Download the executive summary:

These two fully designed pages sum up the content of the complete research review in easily digestible form.

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Download the research companion:

This comprehensive document provides in-depth information about the many studies and evaluations cited in the full report.

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