DATA SHARING RESOURCES FOR AFTERSCHOOL AND EXPANDED LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS
In order for afterschool programs and systems to be effective in serving children and their families, they need access to their own and others’ data. However, these programs and systems often face significant barriers in accessing, sharing, and learning from data across organizations. To help communities address common challenges, we have put together a set of resources that explore promising practices for data sharing in key areas: policy, systems building, ethics, sustainability, operations, and data use.
We have organized the resources into four categories:
 
 Creating City-Level Afterschool Data Systems
 Creating Community/Neighborhood-Level Data Systems
Data sharing is critically important and as new lessons and resources appear, we will periodically add to this resource list. If you have resources that you have found helpful in supporting data sharing, let us know.
Email: [email protected]
Please use subject line: data sharing
Creating Cross-System Collaboration and Alignment for
Data Sharing
Understanding and Managing Federal Rules and
Restrictions on Data Sharing
CREATING CROSS-SYSTEM COLLABORATION AND ALIGNMENT FOR DATA SHARING
Using Data in Multi-Agency Collaborations: Guiding Performance to Ensure Accountability and Improve Programs.
Public/Private Ventures and Child Trends, 2012. This step-by-step guide provides guidance on launching a multi-agency data
system, making that system work by ensuring that partners collect accurate and complete information, analyzing and acting
on data to strengthen programming, and sustaining the data collection system over time.
Better Data and Decisions Toolkits. Ready by 21, 2011.This series of toolkits provides information on how to create
ongoing, cross-system efforts to identify data needs, fill data gaps, and use data to influence real-time decision making. One
of the toolkits focuses specifically on aligning and connecting data for decision making horizontally (across systems) and
vertically (from individual and neighborhood through community and state).
Navigating Information Sharing Toolkit. National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention. This
toolkit was created to help local school and community partners address the complexities of information sharing about
children and youth in multiple systems, including mental health, law enforcement, juvenile justice, and child welfare.
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© 2013 President and Fellows of Harvard College

UNDERSTANDING FEDERAL RULES AND RESTRICTIONS ON DATA SHARING
Data-Sharing: Federal Rules and Best Practices to Improve Out-of-School-Time Programs and Student Outcomes.
Partnership for Children & Youth, 2012.This paper reviews the importance of data sharing across school systems and the
expanded learning community. It also offers strategies and case studies describing how data sharing can work within the
parameters of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other privacy laws.
Privacy Technical Assistance Center. U.S. Department of Education. This “one-stop” resource for education stakeholders
provides information about data privacy, confidentiality, and security practices related to student-level longitudinal data
systems. It provides timely information and updated guidance through a variety of resources, including training materials
and opportunities to receive direct assistance with longitudinal data systems.
CREATING CITY-LEVEL AFTERSCHOOL DATA SYSTEMS
Collecting and Using Information to Strengthen Citywide Out-of-School Time Systems. The Wallace Foundation, 2011. This
guide highlights the data collection strategies of citywide afterschool systems. It describes the type of data cities are
gathering, how they collect it, and how they put it to use.
Building Management Information Systems to Coordinate Citywide Afterschool Programs: A Toolkit for Cities. National
League of City’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families, 2012. This guide helps municipal leaders coordinate local
afterschool programs more effectively through building management information systems. It includes information and
advice for city leaders; a library of online resources; and an array of supplemental resources, including a model request for
information, sample data-sharing agreements, afterschool needs assessments,
and links to resources published by National League of City’s policy partners
and member cities.
After-School Data: Six Tip Sheets on What Cities Need to Know. The
Wallace Foundation, 2012. This set of tip sheets gives city agencies,
afterschool program providers, intermediary organizations, and others a
jump-start on making the most of data in afterschool programming. One of
the tip sheets focuses on “data-sharing strategies that work.”
Hours of Opportunity, Volume 2: The Power of Data to Improve After-
School Programs Citywide. RAND, 2010. This report describes how seven cities
used management information systems to collect and use data on out-of-school time programs, including enrollment,
attendance, and student outcomes.
CREATING COMMUNITY/NEIGHBORHOOD-LEVEL DATA SYSTEMS
New HFRP resource on data sharing
The April 2013 FINE Newsletter issue focusing on data sharing with families will be available online at www.hfrp.org
or
Join FINE at www.hfrp.org/subscribe It’s free!
National Neighborhood Indicators Project Lessons on Local Data Sharing. Urban Institute, 2012. This guide provides
strategies on how to negotiate data-sharing agreements with local agencies as the first step towards building a
neighborhood indicator system. It includes information about steps to take before negotiating about data sharing,
understanding data providers perspectives, key elements of data-sharing agreements, and sample research proposals and
data-sharing agreements.
Striving for Student Success: A Model of Shared Accountability. Education Sector, 2011. This article looks at communities
that are working to create shared accountability systems. In particular, the authors highlight the work of the Strive
Partnership of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky. This report provides an in-depth look at where shared accountability works,
and how other communities can use this approach to help all students succeed.
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© 2013 President and Fellows of Harvard College