Acknowledgments

This study represents a collaborative effort among the authors and the staff from the participating school districts and schools, the curriculum developers — Harcourt School Publishers and Success for All (SFA), our colleagues at MDRC and Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), and Institute of Education Sciences (IES) staff. The study has benefited especially from the time, energy, and commitment put forth by staff in the participating school districts and communitybased organizations to implement the two enhanced after-school programs used in the Evaluation of Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs, to allow access to after-school classrooms, and to respond to requests for data.

Susan Bloom and staff at Bloom Associates and on-site District Coordinators provided invaluable support to the school districts and community-based organizations in their efforts to implement the enhanced after-school programs and meet the demands of the evaluation.

The study’s technical working group provided valuable insights on the evaluation’s design, data analysis, and early versions of the report. We thank Megan Beckett, Thomas Dee, Carolyn Denton, Larry Hedges, Nancy Jordan, and Rebecca Maynard for their expertise and guidance.

The listed authors of this report represent only a small part of the team involved in this project. Linda Kuhn and the staff at Survey Research Management and local Data Collection Coordinators managed and conducted the baseline and follow-up testing and survey data collection effort.

At P/PV, Karen Walker coordinated the classroom observations and supported the observation staff. Laurie Kotloff and Nikki Johnson processed and managed the interview and observation data. These P/PV staff — along with Amy Arbreton, Julie Goldsmith, Jennifer Kim, Danijela Korom-Djakovic, Jennifer McMaken, Rebecca Raley, and Jessica Sheldon — also conducted classroom observations and interviews with school staff.

At MDRC, Rebecca Kleinman and Adam Wodka assisted with data collection and provided programming and analysis support. In addition, Dan Fallon, Glee Holton, Rebecca Kleinman, and Cynthia Willner conducted classroom observations and interviews with school staff. Gordon Berlin, James Kemple, William Corrin, John Hutchins, Chuck Michalopoulos, and Mary Visher provided substantive expertise through their thoughtful comments on, and reviews of, this report. Mario Flecha and Vivian Mateo assisted with report production. Robert Weber and John Hutchins edited the report, and Stephanie Cowell and Inna Kruglaya prepared it for publication.

The Authors