During the Excellence through Inquiry conference, attendees participated in a two-part discussion with the aim of developing an after-school research agenda, to be pursued over the next five years, that supports the goals of increasing the quality and availability of after-school programming. Participants were assigned to three smaller discussion groups and were instructed to identify a minimum of five research questions that represent the highest priorities for researchers studying after-school. Participants were encouraged to think globally and resist the temptation to simply state their own personal research agendas. Additional discussion questions were provided by discussion facilitators, including:
- What role can research play in improving program quality? What research information can we provide program managers to support this goal?
- What role can research play in advancing a public policy agenda that supports after-school programming? What research information can we provide policy makers to support this goal?
These brainstorming discussions produced a list of 20 research questions. On Day 2, attendees had an opportunity to prioritize those questions in responding to the following prompt:
Assume you are a funder with $25 million to spend on after-school research over the next five years. What are the three questions on which you would focus your grant making?
The following is a list of those research priorities ranked by the number of votes they received.
- What is the impact of professional development on programs? What training content and delivery mechanisms make the most difference for staff? (13 votes)
- What are appropriate measures of social and emotional learning in after-school? (11)
- How do youth development experiences relate to academic achievement? (10)
- What are effective strategies for improving quality? (10)
- What program characteristics promote high levels of concentration and motivation in after-school activities? (8)
- What characteristics and experiences make staff effective in supporting youth? What are the characteristics of a "natural" youth worker? (5)
- To what extent do participants carry skills they learn and develop in after-school programs to other contexts in their life? (5)
- How do we define program quality? (5)
- What activity content works best in informal settings? Is there certain content that is more effectively delivered by nonprofessional staff? (5)
- What do different Extended Learning Day models look like at their best and worst? (3)
- How do programs effectively engage parents? (3)
- What do we know about supply and demand for after-school opportunities? (3)
- How do different subpopulations experience after-school? (3)
- What organizational supports lead to good instruction? (2)
- How does the current focus on outcome-based accountability affect programs? (2)
- What are the typical career trajectories of after-school workers? (1)
- Should program quality indicators be used to hold programs accountable? (1)
- Developing a typology of youth settings defined by their physical setting, activity structure, and skill focus. (1)
- Do participants benefit from remediation activities in after-school? (0)
- Is quality defined differently for a start up program vs. a mature program? (0)
