Appendix: Methods and Limitations
Methods
Data collected for the purposes of reporting and to inform continuous improvement came from several sources:
- Program attendance: Coordinators tracked and entered attendance in an Excel spreadsheet. For students with data sharing consent from their parent/guardian, attendance data were also submitted to the 21st CCLC data portal maintained by the American Institutes for Research (AIR).
- Family attendance and feedback: Coordinators facilitated family events over the course of the program year. All relevant files (attendance, survey data, flyers) were provided to the evaluation team to supplement the family engagement analysis. For families that provided data sharing consent, family event attendance data were also submitted to the 21st CCLC data portal maintained by AIR.
- Student achievement and demographics: In partnership with the Kent School District, a data sharing agreement was developed and used to provide achievement and demographic data for all Kent Community Success participants who have attended one or more days of program, and for whom a parent/guardian consented to data sharing.
- Year-end reflection data: In partnership with each of the Site Coordinators, a conversation was held over Zoom to obtain more contextual information regarding the program. This was facilitated by the external evaluator and covered topics such as: partnerships, program operations, activities, family events, and successes/challenges.
Limitations
In the process of preparing this report, the following limitations were identified. These limitations are particularly related to data collection, analysis, and measures of programmatic progress.
- Consistency and completion of required data sources. As several data elements require shared responsibility between Site Coordinators and the evaluation team, there are inherent limitations in the accuracy and reliability of some data sources. Another challenge was limited and/or incomplete student and family surveys at both sites. For 2024-25, consider offering a paper copy option and improving communication efforts.