Research 360

Read the latest blog posts on ACA's strategic focus in research.

Interested in contributing to the research blog? Contact research@ACAcamps.org.

 

campers performing in front of entire camp
How to Measure Enrollment: Part Three
July 3, 2018

Hello camp evaluators! Welcome to Part 3 of my series on measuring enrollment. When I started this series, I believe I had in mind that it would be a single blog, but that blog extended into two and here we are at Part 3. The fact that this... Read More

campers on bikes
How to Measure Enrollment: Part Two
June 19, 2018

To truly understand if you are serving campers in the ways you hope, you need to look at enrollment from several different angles.
camper getting sprayed with water
How to Measure Enrollment: Part One
June 5, 2018

Enrollment represents the number of campers we serve — but, as straightforward as that sounds, it’s not. 
checklist illustration
Introducing a New (and Free!) Friend: The Camp Program Quality Staff Checklist
May 22, 2018

Before I get started, I have a confession: I lied. I said in the title that in this post I was going to introduce you to a new friend, but that’s not entirely true. The Camp Program Quality Staff Checklist is not in fact new: it’s been available... Read More

campers laughing
Calling All Camp Enthusiasts! A Special Issue of Camp Research Is Here
May 8, 2018

This blog is about a special double issue of the Journal of Youth Development focused entirely on camp research.
campers exploring nature
Happy Campers: How Camp Relationships Promote Social and Emotional Learning
April 23, 2018

Young people are diverse and dynamic, and they have myriad pathways to success. Unfortunately, youth development research often highlights watered-down averages of sample sets that offer limited insight and inspiration, in part because they don’t... Read More

Confetti
Let's Get This Party Started! Are You In?
April 9, 2018

The research party has started, but, like most parties, the research project is most impactful when everyone at the party is engaged, giving and taking in equal parts so the entire community party benefits.
staff jumping at sunset
The Unexpected Upside of Evaluation: How Your Program May Improve, Even Before Results Are In
March 26, 2018

Simply by being more intentional about assessing your program, and using existing research to sharpen your focus onto the things that matter most, you may be surprised by just how easy it is to make meaningful changes.

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