scholarly journals Building Collective Capacity for Program Quality Improvement: Boston Beyond’s Certified Observer Network

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-238
Author(s):  
Emily Dodge
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Program Quality ◽  
System Level ◽  
Out Of School Time ◽  
School Time ◽  
Level Model ◽  
System Level Model ◽  
Out Of School

This article describes Boston Beyond’s effort to develop a network of out-of-school time program partner staff trained in implementing a program quality observation tool. Participant survey (n = 63) and interview (n = 4) feedback demonstrate that the network is meeting its goals of advancing participants’ professional development, positively impacting organizations, and creating a system-level model of peer-to-peer program quality improvement. Areas of improvement are identified for each goal. Questions of sustainability, planned network improvements, and considerations for others seeking to establish similar networks are discussed.

scholarly journals Development of the OSTRC Conference Evaluation Toolkit

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-134
Author(s):  
Jennifer Buher-Kane ◽  
Nancy Peter ◽  
Stefanie Gabel
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Out Of School Time ◽  
Resource Center ◽  
School Time ◽  
Funding Agencies ◽  
Development Evaluation ◽  
Effective Staff Development ◽  
Time Resource ◽  
Out Of School

Research demonstrates that staff quality directly impacts student achievement in out-of-school time (OST) settings, and that effective staff development contributes to a skilled workforce. Evaluating OST professional development is therefore attracting increased attention from researchers, practitioners, and funding agencies. In the spring of 2004, the Out-of-School Time Resource Center (OSTRC) began searching for professional development evaluation instruments designed specifically for the OST field. Since the OSTRC could not locate research-based surveys for this genre, it implemented a pilot study to create and test such instruments. These surveys were designed to evaluate professional conferences, which are critical (but not exclusive) components of OST professional development opportunities. The overarching goal of this study was to operationalize the pathway between professional development conferences and increased student learning.

Informal Science and Youth Development: Creating Convergence in Out-of-School Time

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (13) ◽  
pp. 199-218
Author(s):  
Gil G. Noam ◽  
Ashima Mathur Shah
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Program Quality ◽  
The Other ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Science Program ◽  
Out Of School Time ◽  
School Time ◽  
Science Activities ◽  
Out Of School

This chapter highlights the fit between youth-development-oriented programming and informal science activities in out-of-school time (OST) and illustrates how science and youth development can and should co-occur. The clover model and Dimensions of Success tool are introduced as lenses for designing and assessing science program quality in OST. “While both the afterschool and science fields are at a crossroads, association with the other enhances the potential for each to flourish.” ∼Lucy Friedman (2005)

Simple Interactions: Piloting a Strengths-Based and Interaction-Based Professional Development Intervention for Out-of-School Time Programs

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Akiva ◽  
Junlei Li ◽  
Kelly M. Martin ◽  
Christy Galletta Horner ◽  
Anne R. McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Development Intervention ◽  
Out Of School Time ◽  
School Time ◽  
Out Of School

scholarly journals Findings from Five Out-of-School Time Focus Groups: Professional Development Preferences, Experiences and Recommendations for Future Planning

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-100
Author(s):  
Jennifer Buher-Kane ◽  
Nancy Peter ◽  
Stacy Olitsky ◽  
Susan Kinnevy
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Out Of School Time ◽  
Resource Center ◽  
School Time ◽  
New Information ◽  
Survey Instruments ◽  
Evaluating Professional Development ◽  
Time Resource ◽  
Out Of School

Evaluating professional development can assist with designing better programs in the future, yet survey instruments may not always capture the nuances of participant’s experiences. Therefore, in order to develop better survey instruments, the Out-of-School Time Resource Center conducted a series of five focus groups. Questions pertained to participants’ job-related needs, preferred types of professional development, characteristics of both “good” and “bad” workshops, reasons why new information is not utilized, and recommendations for policymakers/funders. Findings from the focus groups have been used to revise OSTRC pilot surveys, which will be standardized and published as an Evaluation Toolkit that can be used to design and evaluate OST conferences.

scholarly journals Improving STEM program quality in out-of-school-time: Tool development and validation

2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashima Mathur Shah ◽  
Caroline Wylie ◽  
Drew Gitomer ◽  
Gil Noam
Keyword(s):  
Program Quality ◽  
Tool Development ◽  
Out Of School Time ◽  
School Time ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Out Of School

scholarly journals A New System of Classifying Out-of-School Time Job Responsibilities

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 52-66
Author(s):  
Jennifer Buher Kane ◽  
Nancy Peter
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Job Responsibilities ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Out Of School Time ◽  
School Time ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analyses ◽  
New System ◽  
Out Of School

Out-of-school time (OST) is a burgeoning field with both research and policy implications. Efforts to improve professional development for OST staff members are of particular interest, as funding streams increasingly target interventions which promote positive changes in student outcomes. Professional development evaluation in particular is hindered by a lack of consistency among job titles and responsibilities across OST organizations. This mixed-method study utilizes original data to explore underlying patterns of job responsibilities within the field and offers a new classification system based on exploratory factor analyses. The classification includes five categories, each with a unique combination of common job responsibilities to assist survey respondents in choosing the appropriate category: upper-level administration, mid-level administration, direct-service, capacity-building, and “other.” Results suggest this new system is user-friendly to both respondents and researchers, and will garner more accurate and comparative information for future OST research and application.

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