Argues that we do not yet have a menu of program options for helping students at risk of dropping out and suggests a way to identify approaches that program developers can use while efforts to develop a stronger scientific basis for new programs continue.

Mathematica's latest report shows that 21st Century after-school programs, which currently spend $1 billion a year in federal funding, changed where and with whom students spent some of their after-school time. But our analysis also reveals that programs had only limited influence on academic...

Describes the program, framework and design for the national evaluation, and data and methods to be used in the implementation and impact studies.

Recommends that an upcoming study of the effectiveness of educational technology in improving academic achievement focus on four goals: (1) defining what is meant by "educational technology," (2) deciding how to measure effectiveness, (3) clarifying what kinds of students will be studied, and...

To address the unmet needs of disadvantaged children, the Children and Youth program supports services aimed at promoting healthy development of young children, to prevent later problems by intervening early in a problem cycle, when services are less costly and may have a greater chance for...

Describes how various components of Mathematica's complex study fit together and explains perspectives and principles related to 1) distinguishing implemented programs from intended ones, 2) ensuring broad coverage to explore competing theories of effective programming, 3) collecting...