Almost immediately after we launched, the world as we knew it turned upside down and we had to wrestle with the pandemic and the unforeseen challenges it presented for young people, families, educators, schools, and summer and afterschool providers. One constant during this turbulent time was our approach to tackling tough challenges: we began by asking questions. What do our partners need most from us? What are we uniquely positioned to learn and do? How can we use what we know to make things easier for others? Our answers have guided us to use the practical knowledge we’ve accumulated over the years to address big (and timely) topics.
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If there’s anything we’ve learned in the last two decades of out-of-school time (OST) research, it’s that quality matters in summer programs. SCRI’s latest report, “Quality Can’t Wait: Cultivating Continuous Improvement” looks at what we’ve learned about designing and implementing rapid-cycle quality improvement, while our expert interview with Wendy McClanahan of McClanahan Associates, Inc. gives a broader look at QA in OST.
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Central to BellXcel’s approach to summer learning is its commitment to rapid-cycle continuous improvement because quality can’t wait. This brief presents SCRI’s review of BellXcel’s quality assessment process and its dedication to guiding partners through continuous quality improvement.
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In 2020, BellXcel engaged McClanahan Associates, Inc. (MAI) to conduct a literature review to learn more about quality assessment (QA) in Out of School Time (OST) programs and understand the research support for BellXcel’s quality standards and indicators. SCRI talked with Wendy McClanahan, president and founder of MAI, to distill the findings and share her unique perspective on QA in OST.
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This SCRI Asks features Q&A with Christina A. Russell of Policy Studies Associates and Corey Newhouse of Public Profit, editors of Measure, Use, Improve! Data Use in Out-of-School Time. They reflect on BellXcel’s chapter, Thinking Outside the Logic Model, written by our own Brenda McLaughlin and Bryan Hall, and share practical tips and guidance.
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Measure, Use, Improve! Data Use In Out-of-School Time – the fifth volume in Information Age Publishing’s Current Issues in Out-of-School Time Series – adds a set of inspiring and insightful resources for OST practitioners, policymakers, and researchers alike. SCRI’s Brenda McLaughlin and Bryan Hall were pleased to co-author a chapter for the volume, Beyond Youth Outcomes: Thinking Outside the Logic Model.
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