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Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs Evaluations in Progress The Evaluation Division is currently conducting the following evaluation projects. Please select the name of the program for a description of the evaluation project.
FLEX Host Family Evaluation The goal of the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) is to provide an opportunity for high school students from Eurasian countries to experience life in a democratic society and to help promote democratic values and institutions in Eurasia. A critical component of the FLEX program is the host family. All FLEX participants live with a US host family during their one-year exchange. Program stakeholders anticipate that FLEX host families, and the communities in which they live, will develop a better understanding of foreign students’ countries and cultures, while conveying fundamental information about the United States and U.S. society. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact that hosting FLEX foreign exchange students has on U.S. host families. Through interviews, focus groups, and surveys the study will gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative data regarding changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of U.S. host families as a result of hosting students participating in the FLEX Program. (Anticipated completion date: July 2008) 
Journalism and Media Exchange Programs This new evaluation assesses the effectiveness of Journalism and Media programs and projects administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The evaluation concentrates on programs and projects conducted under the auspices of the International Visitors Leadership Program, the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, and the Office of Citizen Exchanges. These programs seek to achieve key ECA Bureau Goals: increasing mutual understanding and strengthening linkages between people and institutions in the United States and overseas. They also hold thematic goals specific to journalism and media initiatives, such as improving the practice of journalism, strengthening new media outlets, building capacity for investigative and in-depth reporting, providing independent sources of information, and professionalizing the fields of journalism and broadcast media, among others. The evaluation will rely on both quantitative and qualitative sources of data, for programs conducted between 2001 and 2007. InterMedia, located in Washington, D.C., is conducting the evaluation. (Anticipated completion date: May 2009)
Youth Exchange and Study Program The Youth Exchange and Study Program brings students from predominantly Muslim countries to the United States to live with American families and attend high school for either one year or one semester. The program began in August 2003 and brought 163 students from 12 countries. In the second year, the program was expanded to 475 students from 18 countries, and for the third year, the program will include 650 students from 24 countries. The purpose of the evaluation is to evaluate from the outset of the program whether the program is meeting its goals of 1) providing the opportunity for young people in selected countries to learn more about American society, values, and culture; 2) fostering personal connections; 3) enhancing American understanding of the foreign students’ countries and cultures; and 4) supporting program alumni to put the knowledge and skills acquired to use in their home countries. For each of the first three cohorts, the evaluation consists of three phases: a pre-program survey, an end-of-program survey, and a one-year post-program survey. Intermedia, located in Washington, D.C., is conducting the evaluation. (Anticipated completion date: Winter 2009)
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