Chapter 8: Putting Data to Work for Young People: Bridging Practice and Research Through Continuous Improvement

Every Hour Counts, a national coalition of expanded-learning intermediary organizations that increases access to quality learning opportunities, developed a measurement framework to help intermediary organizations use data at the youth, program, and system level to guide continuous improvement. Based on the lessons learned in developing, implementing, and evaluating this framework, this chapter explores the local capacity needed to effectively identify measures of success, and collect and analyze data to drive improvement. Additionally, the chapter provides context on the dynamic nature of a shared framework, sheds light on organizational and technical challenges, and illuminates promising approaches and solutions.