For out-of-school programs to learn more about how they serve children and youth, it is important that they invest in outcome evaluations, according to the fourth part of the Child Trends research series on Practical Evaluation Methods.

An outcome evaluation investigates whether changes occur for participants in a program and, if so, why. Evaluating outcomes for program participants is vital because it allows for ongoing quality management and serves as an indicator that the program is maintaining a level of effectiveness.

Outcome evaluations can be conducted at different points in the development of a program, but experts do not typically recommend conducting such evaluations for start-ups. Outcome and process evaluations are imperative because program practitioners or participants may believe a program is effective, but that needs to be proved objectively.

Another brief (second link) from Child Trends describes why process evaluations are important, when they should be used and how they can be a useful tool for out-of-school program practitioners.

The brief also focuses on guidelines and strategies for implementing process evaluations and provides some concrete examples that illustrate their usefulness. It concludes with a list of helpful resources for out-of-school time program practitioners.

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The results of a seven-year study indicate that middle school students in Boston public schools enrolled in extended-learning after-school programs outperformed peers who were not involved with such programs.

The study, conducted for Citizen Schools, notes that extended-learning opportunities show promise in engaging at-risk middle school students as participants attended more days of school on average and exhibited lower suspension rates than peers.

In addition, these students outperformed their peers on English and math course passage, Math Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System proficiency and selection of college-track high schools. Said one participant: "Citizen Schools has been an extremely positive influence in my life...I owe a great deal to the mentors and volunteers" who helped me continue my education.

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A new study from the National Institute for Early Education Research finds that state-funded preschools served more than one million children last year.

However, public pre-kindergarten was unavailable for most three- and four-year-olds. In fact, 12 states offered no state-funded preschool and others faltered in their commitments to high quality early education programs.

Meanwhile, less than half of all four-year-olds were enrolled in government-supported preschool while one quarter received no preschool at all. For three-year-olds, the situation was worse, as only 15 percent were enrolled in public programs and 50 percent received no education at all.

Still, the report notes that enrollment, quality and state spending per child did increase.

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Two new studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, examined teacher practices and early outcomes of a dynamic classroom assessment approach known as Proximal Assessment for Learner Diagnosis (PALD).

The reports find that sixth graders who were taught by PALD scored significantly higher on standardized math tests than peers who weren't exposed to the method. In addition, fifth graders who participated in the program outperformed their peers in geometry.

The method requires teachers to break down math problem solving -- or any academic task they want students to learn -- into a set of connected skills and concepts. Then the teacher assesses student performance at each step to understand precisely where students make errors or show lack of understanding.

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