“Now,” according to Ms. Alston-Kearney, “we assess the impact of our work on our family services constituency by collecting evaluation surveys and event summaries, by following up on referral forms, by conducting periodic home visits and follow-up, through family consultations, and by maintaining case files for those with more intense involvement. [All of these data are] periodically reviewed in our bi-weekly staff meetings, and we usually have debriefing sessions around events. In our youth initiatives, the high school students submit weekly journal entries and daily activity logs. Pre- and post-academic achievement data are collected on student participants in our middle school after-school programs. We also produce or collect minutes of interagency collaboration efforts. [The foundation for] our assessment efforts is direct
involvement of family members in planning and decision-making around program development.”