Diane Gruber
Research Associate
- B.A., Wellesley College, M.A., Boston College
Diane Gruber is an experienced research associate specializing in child and youth development. Gruber holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Boston College Lynch School of Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology/Education from Wellesley College, and is a licensed counselor in Massachusetts. Gruber has 12 years’ experience in out-of-school time research and evaluation.
Gruber is part of the research team at the National Institute on Out-of-School Time who are currently evaluating the impact of before-school physical activity programs on children’s learning and non-learning outcomes. She is also a member of the team evaluating the Boston and Beyond Summer Learning Project, an integrative summer program that unites Boston Public Schools with community-based organizations to promote improved learning and non-learning outcomes among urban youth, and Boston Partnership project exploring the impact of ELT partnerships in Boston area schools.
Completed projects include an RWJF Commissioned Analysis on the implementation of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards in a national set of out-of-school time programs; evaluating BE SAFE, a youth prevention initiative aiming to increase afterschool program staff and youth knowledge regarding sexual and mental health, substance abuse, and violence, and collaborating with BARCC to develop a tool to help out-of-school time providers identify areas needed in program improvements; evaluating Out of Harm’s Way, a Boston-based initiative attempting to eliminate violence as a barrier to learning and healthy development in middle school students; After School Gets Moving, a national randomized control trial, studying the impact of a professional development resource for out-of-school time program staff on children’s pedometer step counts; and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 21st Century Summer Learning Project; and she worked with a team that investigated OST program practices that support immigrant and refugee children and families. Gruber has co-authored articles for publications intended for practitioner audiences (School-Aged Notes) and for the Boston Youth Commission.
