[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-590420-105":59,"doc-detail-590420-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","stem-focus-effective-practices-for-evaluating-stem-out-of-school-time-programs","STEM FOCUS - Effective Practices for Evaluating STEM Out-of-School Time Programs","","STEM out-of-school time programs are presented as a critical complement to school learning, aiming to spark student interest and extend STEM knowledge through informal experiences such as museum exhibits and science camps. The article explains why evaluation matters under funding constraints and accountability pressures, emphasizing utilization-focused approaches. It outlines practical evaluation guidance, including defining SMART goals, aligning activities to outcomes, and using logic models to connect inputs, activities, outputs, and short-, intermediate-, and long-term effects.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/stem-focus-effective-practices-for-evaluating-stem-out-of-school-time-programs/590420/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/stem-focus-effective-practices-for-evaluating-stem-out-of-school-time-programs/590420.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Pentious","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-03","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":39},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why is evaluating STEM out-of-school time programs important?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Evaluation helps programs under funding constraints meet accountability needs, and it provides information that can be used to improve program design and delivery from the start.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How should program planners define outcomes for STEM OST programs?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"They should develop SMART goals and clearly articulate outcomes, then align program activities with those outcomes to ensure coherence from purpose to implementation.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What are logic models used for in STEM OST program planning?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Logic models provide a roadmap linking inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes, helping teams depict the program’s theory of change and connect it to measurable effects on target audiences.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},590420,1792188776,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":39,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":52,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},1374404730887,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","STEM FOCUS  \nEffective Practices for Evaluating STEM Out-ofSchool Time Programs  \nby Stephanie B. Wilkerson and Carol M. Haden  \nScience, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs in out-of-school time (OST) are designed to supplement school work, ignite student interest, and extend STEM learning. From interactive museum exhibits to summer-long science camps, opportunities for informal student engagement in STEM learning abound.  \nWhat difference do these programs make, and how can we improve them? These questions preoccupy educatorsand funders alike. OST program developers and providers can benefit from understanding why evaluation is critical to the success of STEM OST programs, what data collection methods are appropriate, and how to effectively communicate and report findings. In this article, we share lessons from our experience in each of these areas and provide examples of how effective practices play out.  \nWhy Evaluate?  \nOST programs operate under funding constraints, with tight budgets and ever-increasing calls for accountability. In the past, the results of evaluations commissioned to  \nsatisfy the accountability requirements of funding agencies or supervisory organizations often went unread and unused. Now, program staff increasingly understand the value of incorporating evaluation into program design, from inception through delivery. Including evaluation in program planning in early stages allows for adaption and improvements along the way (Frechtling, 2010) . As described below, “utilization-focused” evaluations (Patton, 2008) provide planners with valuable information  \nSTEPHANIE B. WILKERSON, Ph. D., is president of Magnolia Consulting ([www.magnoliaconsulting.org](www.magnoliaconsulting.org)) . For 15 years, she has led evaluations of STEM education programs funded by NASA, the U.S. Department of Education, National Geographic Learning, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and the National Science Foundation. She specializes in integrating formative and summative evaluation methods into program development. She co-authored a meta-analysis of OST program effects on at-risk students in the Review of Educational Research.  \nCAROL M. HADEN, Ed. D., is senior evaluator at Magnolia Consulting. She has extensive experience evaluating formal and informal STEM education programs and has conducted evaluations of programs funded by the National Science Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, among others. She has a special interest in supporting exemplary and equitable science education for traditionally underserved populations.  \nto guide program development: Formative evaluationscan inform program improvements, while summative evaluations indicate whether programs are meeting their intended outcomes.  \nDefine Activities and Expected Outcomes  \nIn our experience evaluating STEM programs, we have collaborated with scientists, engineers, program developers, educators, and public outreach providers who bring unique knowledge, talents, and perspectives to the design and delivery of OST programs. Invariably, these individuals are united in their vision: They want to share the excitement of scientific discovery with the people, young and old, who participate in their programs. Using evaluation tools early in program planning enables them to transform that vision into clearly articulated and attainable outcomes for target audiences.  \nIn the development phase, evaluators work with program planners to develop SMART goals: outcomes that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Bodilly and Beckett’s (2005) meta-analysis of OST programs found that programs with clearly defined goals and outcomes had greater success than those whose goals and outcomes were poorly articulated. Success also depends on aligning program planning and activities with goals and outcomes (Huang et al., 2009). This coherence provides a clear ","cbCain2QPieO5IDG","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCain2QPieO5IDG","pdf",915925,"English","# Why Evaluate?\n## Define Activities and Expected Outcomes\n## Logic Models and Theory of Change","[{\"question\":\"Why is evaluating STEM out-of-school time programs important?\",\"answer\":\"Evaluation helps programs under funding constraints meet accountability needs, and it provides information that can be used to improve program design and delivery from the start.\"},{\"question\":\"How should program planners define outcomes for STEM OST programs?\",\"answer\":\"They should develop SMART goals and clearly articulate outcomes, then align program activities with those outcomes to ensure coherence from purpose to implementation.\"},{\"question\":\"What are logic models used for in STEM OST program planning?\",\"answer\":\"Logic models provide a roadmap linking inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes, helping teams depict the program’s theory of change and connect it to measurable effects on target audiences.\"}]","STEM FOCUS - Effective Practices for Evaluating STEM Out-of-School Time Programs | PDF",1792069601,25]