Title

Evaluation of the Rialto Learning Community Out of School Initiative

Research Team

Dr Sarah Miller (PI), Professor Paul Connolly, Dr Angela Eakin

Timescale

January 2011 – April 2013

Funder

Rialto Learning Community through Atlantic Philanthropies

Aims and Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Rialto Learning Community's Out of School Time initiative on wellbeing outcomes of young people aged 11-14 years.

Methodology

The Rialto Learning Community's (RLC) Out of School Time (OST) initiative provides OST activities for local young people aged 11-14 years which include: homework support (with a focus on literacy and numeracy), sports, and programmes in the area of performing arts including: music, dance, visual arts, drama and street performance. It is hypothesised that the provision of this set of programmes results in the improvement of a range of outcomes for children and young people in the area. The evaluation comprises two main components:

1. An impact evaluation of the RLC initiative in relation to wellbeing and educational outcomes for 11-14 year olds using a cohort sequential quasi-experimental design and employing propensity score matching to select an appropriate control group.

2. A qualitative implementation and process evaluation which will include:

• An evaluation of the organisational structures of the RLC initiative and the information management systems including the profiling and planning tools;
• An evaluation of the community context of the project and the development of the links and networks that have been established as part of the initiative.

Outputs

A final report will be available to the funders by April 2013.

Further Information

For further information please contact Dr Sarah Miller