Updated Fall 2009!
Resource Guide

Programs have a clear set of goals, target specific skills and deliberately plan all aspects of the program with the youth development framework in mind.

Having clear goals and choosing activities to achieve those goals is the foundation for a high-quality program. Programs with a focused and intentional strategy target specific skills and deliberately plan all aspects of the program with the youth development framework in mind. Some programs try to fulfill too many goals and as a result do not achieve any of them. It is more effective to allocate limited resources in a specific and strategic way. Programs generally demonstrate a high level of organization through activity plans or a set curriculum. In a well-planned program, all aspects are designed to intentionally build relationships and create developmentally appropriate learning experiences.

• The program has clearly articulated goals.
• The number of goals is limited to what can reasonably be achieved with the human and financial resources available.
• All staff can articulate the program goals.
• Staff are familiar with the developmentally appropriate set of tasks that will help preteens reach the goal.
• All activities have a clear curriculum written in activity plans that outline explicit connections between activities and the skills participants are meant to learn from them.

Shared Features of High-Performing After-School Programs
(February 2006)
http://www.tascorp.org/content/document/detail/1353/
The After-School Corporation (TASC) examined the shared characteristics of 10 high-performing after-school programs it has funded. The study describes six shared features, which are illustrated by specific examples from the individual sites. The components of those effective practices focus on exposing youth to a variety of skill-building activities; building intentional, strong relationships among a range of players, including program staff members, local schools, youth participants and the sponsor organization; and having a strong leader complemented by a capable staff.
Author/Publisher: Birmingham, Jennifer, Ellen M. Pechman, Christina A. Russell and Monica Mielke. New York : The After-School Corporation.

After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It (February 2008)
http://www.hfrp.org/evaluation/publications-resources/after-school-programs-in-the-21st-century-their-potential-and-what-it-takes-to-achieve-it
As educators, researchers, policymakers and parents examine new ways to think about education and out-of-school time, the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) looks back over the past decade of research. Using the evidence of seminal studies and evaluations in the field, the review provides an overview of the positive benefits of after-school participation, as well as the factors required to achieve these outcomes and the role that after-school programs can play in supporting school-day learning. The section highlighting measures to achieve quality programs may be particularly useful to program staff.
Author/Publisher: Little, Priscilla M. D., Christopher Wimer and Heather B. Weiss. Harvard Family Research Project. No. 10.

The Impact of After-School Programs That Promote Personal and Social Skills (2007)
www.casel.org/downloads/ASP-Full.pdf
Durlak and Weissberg evaluated the impact of a set of after-school programs that attempted to enhance youths’ personal and social skills and described the features that characterized effective programs. They found that effective programs used evidence-based approaches for their components. Programs that focused on specific social or personal skills were most successful when they were SAFE -- sequenced, active, focused and explicit. This paper is primarily a research document with summary findings about effective after-school programs.
Author/Publisher: Durlak, Joseph A. and Roger P. Weissberg. Chicago: Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Also see: The Positive Impact of Social and Emotional Learning for K-8 Students (2008) at www.lpfch.org/sel

Getting It Right: Strategies for After-School Success (2005)
www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/190_publication.pdf
Raley, Grossman and Walker looked at 10 years of findings from P/PV's and others' research on after-school programs. They found that programs that tried to fulfill too many goals were not likely to achieve any. The paper suggests that programs should ask what they can reasonably achieve given the available human and financial resources and also whether the strategies that it has in place are in line with the goal. This report provides a series of recommendations for after-school programs that intend to produce measurable outcomes for young people.
Author/Publisher: Raley, Rebecca, Jean Grossman and Karen E. Walker. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.

Intentional Youth Programs: Taking Theory to Practice . Chapter Five: New Directions for Youth Development: Rethinking Programs for Youth in the Middle Years. (2006)
Walker presents a theoretical framework suggesting that the two most important features of an engaging youth development program are: 1) an emphasis on youth development and 2) an intentional strategy to design and implement developmentally appropriate learning experiences. This chapter of the book provides a clear explanation of the theory of developmental intentionality.
Author/Publisher: Walker, Joyce. Edited by Dale A. Blyth and Joyce A. Walker.

Designing Youth Development Programs: Toward a Theory of Developmental Intentionality. Chapter 18: Organized Activities as Contexts of Development: Extracurricular Activities, After-School and Community Programs. (2005)
Walker et al lay out the basic components of the theory of developmental intentionality, describe the essential components and provide an illustration that shows the implementation of the theory within a youth program. They looked at the relationship between developmental outcomes, youth engagement and intentionality in the philosophy, design and delivery of program supports and opportunities for young people.
Author/Publisher: Walker, Joyce, Mary Marczak, Dale A. Blyth and Lynne Borden. Edited by Joseph L. Mahoney, Reed W. Larson and Jacquelynne S. Eccles. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.