American Institutes for Research

Neil Naftzger is a principal researcher working on afterschool and expanded learning initiatives at AIR. An experienced evaluator and researcher within the field of afterschool programs, Naftzger has spent more than a decade designing and conducting evaluations and research studies in the after-school and extended learning time arena that involve the collection and analysis of data in various forms, particularly in relation to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. Naftzger studies both the impact of youth-serving programs on various outcomes and the role program quality plays in this process. Naftzger has been the principal investigator on research grants from the Charles Stewart Mott and William T. Grant Foundations and on statewide evaluations of the 21st CCLC programs in New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.  Naftzger also is leading a multi-year evaluation of the Community School Initiative administered by Chicago Public Schools and a study funded by the National Science Foundation to study how youth interest and engagement develop in STEM-oriented summer learning programs.