Raising the Bar: Impacts and Implementation of the New Heights Program for Expectant and Parenting Teens in Washington, dc

 
Observations: 
Site visitors observed program delivery in three study schools and at the 
annual summer New Heights summit to deepen the site visitors’ understanding of the program 
and delivery. We selected schools purposefully to reflect a mix of school cultures, experience 
with program delivery, and population needs; we also based our selections on the schedules of 
staff and site visitors. Two of the three schools were different from those selected for the focus 
groups, including one traditional high school where the program had been operating since its 
inception. Staff shadowed the school-based coordinator during a typical school day, which 
included observing educational workshops, individual interactions between youth and the New 
Heights coordinator, and meetings with school staff such as guidance counselors, registrars, and 
teachers. At the annual summit, staff observed educational workshops on relevant topics, student 
speakers, and discussions with community-based providers. Staff documented content and 
quality of interactions using a structured observation protocol. 
 
Case file reviews: 
To provide the study team with deeper insights into participant and staff 
experiences with the program, site visitors requested and reviewed a small number (28) of case 
A.3 

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APPENDIX A: IMPLEMENTATION STUDY DATA SOURCES AND METHODS
 
files for typical program participants, reflecting on the specific needs and challenges reflected in 
the notes. For each study school, site visitors randomly selected two to three New Heights 
participants who had been “active” for at least 30 days from September 2011 to June 2015. 
These reviews offered site visitors a better understanding of the population being served, their 
backgrounds and experiences, types of assistance they required, and ways the program is aiming 
to address their needs. These reviews, along with the semi-structured interviews, focus groups, 
observations, and site visits, formed the basis for the vignettes in the implementation reports.