Now it’s time to reap the benefits of all your hard work by using your evaluation results to improve your program. Both types of evaluation—formative and summative (see the section on evaluation for more information on these types)—are important for program improvement but for different reasons. Formative evaluation likely will give you information about what is and isn’t working in your program. Often, these kinds of evaluations include information about how satisfied youth and families are with the program, how well programs and activities are implemented, and how often young people attend the program. Summative evaluations may tell you more about what kind of effect your program is having on youth and whether you are targeting the right things, both of which are important details to consider as you think through your program activities for the coming years. No matter what kind of evaluation took place, it is critical to take time with your staff, advisory boards, youth, and others to reflect on the findings and determine what changes need to be made in the short and long terms.
You’ll find that this section is deceptively short; however, don’t let its brevity diminish the importance of what it says. Throughout this Toolkit, we discuss the value of developing a cycle of continuous improvement—of planning, doing, reflecting, and revising. Each section covers an important part of the cycle, including key steps in the process of building a high-quality afterschool and expanded learning program. Now with this section, we bring all the pieces together to focus on the last stage of the continuous improvement cycle—improving your program—before it starts again.