It Feels Fine Once You Get Used to It: Lessons from the 21st Century National Evaluation

These remarks, presented at the Brookings Institution's Stakeholder Forum on After-School Programs, reflect on lessons from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers study that can benefit future education evaluations. Specifically, the author calls for consistent weighting of the evidence, evaluation of programs when they are small, clarity about program goals and effectiveness, and consideration of ways to increase objectivity in education research to increase public trust.