This Research Update synthesizes findings from the profiles of 15 research and evaluation reports added to the Out-of-School Time Program Research and Evaluation Database in December 2006. It highlights strategies for assessing program processes as well as key outcomes and features of programs that promote positive outcomes. The Harvard Family…

The authors present the argument that evaluation as currently practiced is failing the needs of the social sector, if the goal is to help organizations achieve their mission. Three case studies are presented in which evaluation played a key role in the development of a learning culture within the organization. Each case highlights the positive…

Civic engagement that is, community service, political activism, environmentalism, and other volunteer activities provide needed services to community residents and psychological, social, and intellectual benefits to participants. A small but growing body of research suggests the likelihood that active involvement leads to healthy, active…

This paper describes the process of developing a participatory monitoring and evaluation strategy for a Kenyan youth-based NGO. The iterative nature of the study including the process of narrowing down indicators to measure and methods to monitor/evaluate these is well documented. A discussion on the extent to which the process achieved…

This program assessment package is for those providing after-school services for young adolescents. Introductory material discusses why the focus is on 10- to 15-year-olds, the need for program evaluation, and assessment criteria. The package includes the following items: (1) "3:00 to 6:00 P.M.; Programs for Young Adolescents," by Joan…

An evaluation of Round One of a pilot study of a system for identifying effective youth organizations around the world is presented in this report. The report begins with a page of general observations about the successes and shortcomings of the pilot study, indicating that in general the study accomplished its objectives but that a need for…

The checklists, tips, and examples will help persons involved with youth participation projects demonstrate the impact of a project. They will also help check for project strengths and weaknesses. Including the introduction, there are seven chapters. Chapter 2, "How Should Your Evaluation Look?" discusses what questions should be asked,…

An evaluation of the Youth Employment and Training Programs (YETP), designed to provide disadvantaged out-of-school youth with a broad range of employment and training services in order to enhance their job prospects and career opportunities, was conducted to develop a base of information on which programs were successful in meeting YETP goals. In…

The purpose of this guide is to provide state and local Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program administrators with an approach to developing meaningful and relevant negotiated performance standards that will serve as a management and evaluation tool. The guide is organized in four chapters. Chapter I provides background information on the…

The status of performance standards used in the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Title II-A and Title III programs was assessed in April and May 1985. Survey responses were received from 49 states. Forty states reported plans to use the Employment and Training Administration adjustment methodology to establish local performance standards. Of…

Past recidivism studies on adventure/wilderness programs for delinquent youth have suffered from several problems: lack of uniform definition and interpretation of recidivism; varying lengths of study time; different follow-up periods; provincial or state variance in returns to Training School or incarceration in an adult system and in the process…

Using a synthesis of available literature written between 1960 and 1977, the study reported in this document focuses on the assessment of (1) employment and training services for youth; (2) techniques which have been used in providing employment and training services to youth; (3) administrative practices which have either enhanced or vitiated…

This report synthesizes recommendations on future youth employment policy that emerged from a series of 10 regional Policy Forums sponsored by the National Youth Practitioners' Network. Introductory information lists the sessions and the five discussion questions on the agenda at 10 forums. These three general recommendations are then discussed:…

This document is a workbook that describes how youth practitioners, Workforce Investment Act (WIA) entities, policymakers, funders, and others can use the Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet) to improve the field of youth employment and youth development. The workbook begins with an introduction to PEPNet, which is a framework for…

This guide is intended to assist Private Industry Council (PIC) members in developing competency standards for youth programs receiving Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) funds. Discussed first are the benefits of competency standards to PICs and service delivery areas (SDAs). The various components of program standards (types of skills, skill…