Continuous Program Quality Improvement, Summer Learning, and Training

Ongoing since 2005

Principal Investigator and Project Director: Georgia Hall, Ph.D.

Funderd by: Boston After School & Beyond

NIOST has served as a research and evaluation partner to Boston After School & Beyond since 2009. Collaboration with Boston After School & Beyond and Boston Public Schools and local community-based organizations has included the investigation of components of school CBO partnership afterschool programming and potential contributions to positive youth outcomes along with exploring how integrated approaches to summer learning, based on meeting the needs and interests of students, can advance student learning. NIOST with its partners has pursued multiple levels of investigation and utilized a menu of field-tested tools to gather extensive data to inform the continued development and sustainability of the Boston Summer Learning Project and school-year OST programs. Research methods have included program observation (using the APT), youth survey data collection, interviews, focus groups, and collection of school level data. Summer learning investigation included five programs in 2009 growing to 130 programs in 2017. NIOST, with its partners, is currently engaged in a training initiative focused on developing a cadre of trained program quality observers (partner program staff) using the APT to continue to build high quality program practices and experiences for children and older youth.

Tags: Projects, Georgia Hall