Evaluating After-School Programs

Outcome Evaluation: A Guide for Out-of-School Time Practitioners

Outcome evaluations that investigate whether after-school programs are run successfully should be used regularly by staff members and administrators, says a policy brief by Child Trends , a Washington-based nonprofit organization that researches child and youth issues.

The report also says that outcome evaluations can be conducted either during the early stages or in mature stages of after-school programs, and that those assessments should take into account the changing dynamic of an after-school program and be unique to each program, rather than generic.