Accountability in Cross-Institutional Out-of-school Time Networks: A Case Study of Practitioner Experiences in the Nashville After Zone Alliance

Abstract

This thesis is a case-study analysis of out-of-school-time (OST) practitioners’ experiences of accountability in the NAZA network, a cross-institutional OST network partnership between OST programs, non-profit organizations, network governance, and schools in Nashville, TN. Drawing on interviews with 28 direct program providers in the network, this study addresses three overarching research questions: How do OST providers experience accountability in practice across sectors (programs, organizations, network governance, and schools) of cross-institutional OST networks, What are potential sources of tension in accountability between sectors of cross-institutional OST networks, and What are practitioner strategies for navigating tension in accountability within cross-institutional OST networks? Results highlight the importance of program accountability, particularly downward accountability to program youth and families, in OST providers’ experiences of network accountability. Tensions emerged in practitioners’ experiences of network accountability when practice in network sectors interfered with practitioners’ ability to support program accountability. Practitioners corrected for these tensions by creating personal systems of accountability outside of the OST network, potentially limiting network influence over OST programming. Implications for OST practice are discussed.