Boston After School & Beyond

Student Engagement

Adolescent Out-of-School Time Participation: Contextual Predictors and Developmental Differences

This presentation by the Harvard Family Research Project discusses predictors and developmental differences in adolescent participation in out-of-school time activities. They looked at risk factors on various levels including risk of the child, family, school and neighborhood. Child and family risk were found to be the most consistent predictors of non-participation among middle and high school students. Finally, implications for policy and practice are made for increasing adolescent participation in OST programs. 2005

Engaging Youth on Their Turf: Creative Approaches to Connecting Youth through Community

The Healthy Teen Network, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, presents six creative approaches to engage youth. These six programs include an arts or sports component and seek to build bonds among youth, caring adults and their environment. This article hopes to provide examples for other programs on how to engage often difficult to reach youth. 2007.

Finding the Right Hook: Strategies for attracting and sustaining participation in after-school programs

This article offers promising recruitment and retention strategies to school administrators seeking to boost participation rates in their school-based after school programs. Published by Harvard Family Research Project, in the May 2005 issue of "The School Administrator" magazine.

Meeting the High School Challenge: Making After-School Work for Older Students

This report by The After-School Corporation (TASC) reviews the many challenges programs face when providing programming for teens. They describe three program approaches to engaging older teens in after-school and discuss strengths and weaknesses of each. The authors also offer lessons learned about providing programming for high school aged youth. July 2007.

Motivations Matter: Findings and Practical Implications of a National Survey of Cultural Participation

This report, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, presents the findings of a national study about participation in cultural activities. The authors illustrate various motivations for participation, locations of attended events and documented experiences of participants in cultural events. They compare the expectations of participants with their actual experience and then provide implications for the field. 2005.

Moving Beyond the Barriers: Attracting and Sustaining Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time Programs

This research brief by the Harvard Family Research Project examines issues related to youth participation in out-of-school time programs. The authors provide discussion about incentives for and barriers to participation, as well as a list of ten recruitment and retention strategies which have been successful in engaging youth in OST programs. Finally, there is a call for further research to compile effective means of increasing youth utilization of OST programs. July 2004.

New Poll Reveals Insight Into Teens and After School Programs

Junior Achievement Worldwide contracted with Newton research to conduct a poll of 1,200 teens between the ages of 13 and 18. This press release presents some of the key findings of the study related to the teens’ thoughts and participation in after-school programs. One key finding of the study was that about 40% of students who did not participate in an after-school opportunity said it was because they did not have any interest in the activities being offered. July 5, 2006

Spanning the Gender Gap in Mentoring

Spanning the Gender Gap in Mentoring provides a short review of what is known about gender in mentoring relationships. Although the research has left many questions as yet unanswered, this article addresses what is known about the differences between girls and boys in why they enter, how they can benefit from and why they leave mentoring programs. 2006.

Boston Beyond