Highlighted Research
Expanded Learning Opportunities - Pathways to Student Success
Prepared by Priscilla M. Little, Associate Director at Harvard Family Research Project, for the Connecting Communities Policy Symposium. October 2009.
National Findings, America After 3PM
Despite an increase in the number of children attending afterschool programs over the last five years, today more than a quarter of the nation's schoolchildren are on their own in the afternoons, and the parents of 18 million children say they would enroll their kids in afterschool programs if programs were available. These are among the findings from America After 3PM, a survey of nearly 30,000 households across the United States conducted for the Afterschool Alliance and sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. America After 3PM is the most extensive research into how America's children spend their afternoons. October 2009.
Structuring Out-of-School Time to Improve Academic Achievement
Out-of-school time programs can enhance academic achievement by helping students learn outside the classroom. The five recommendations in this guide, published by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences are intended to help district and school administrators, out-of-school program providers, and educators design out-of-school time programs that will increase learning for students. The guide also describes the research supporting each recommendation, how to carry out each recommendation, and how to address roadblocks that might arise in implementing them. July 2009.
Making the Case: A 2009 Fact Sheet on Children and Youth In Out-of-School Time
A great resource provided by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time is packed with the latest research and information on how children and youth spend their non-school hours, how they benefit from afterschool activities and much more. 2009.
Program Participation Can Lower Risk of Youth Disconnection From School or Work
Youth who participate in a job training, job search, or school-to-work program during their high school years are less likely to experience subsequent disconnection than youth who do not participate in this type of program, according to a new Child Trends brief. The brief, Youth Who Are "Disconnected" and Those Who Then Reconnect: Assessing the Influence of Family, Programs, Peers, and Communities, analyzes factors that put youth at risk for disconnection as well as factors related to youth reconnecting after a period of disconnection. July 2009.
Child, Family, and Neighborhood Factors Influence Youth Non-Participation in Programs
A new Child Trends brief finds that youth who have not participated in out-of-school time programs are significantly more likely than are their participating peers to live in an unsupportive neighborhood; to spend more than two hours a day watching TV or playing video games; and to have parents who are in poor health, who don't exercise, and who have less than a high school education. The brief, Non-Participation of Children and Adolescents in Out-of-School Time Programs: Child, Family, and Neighborhood Factors, identifies individual and background factors that influence non-participation. July 2009.
Youth Perspective on Why Teens Don't Participate in Programs
Youth who are not involved with out-of-school time programs identify varied barriers to participation, ranging from programs that are located in unsafe or unfamiliar neighborhoods to program participation being perceived in a negative light by parents and/or peers. A new brief, Why Teens are Not Involved in Out-of-School Time Programs: The Youth Perspective, presents findings from a recent Child Trends youth roundtable discussion. Youth participants also suggested program improvement strategies, such as teaching practical skills, using technology for recruitment, offering a variety of activities, and hiring skilled staff members who treat youth with respect. July 2009.
Financial Strategies to Support Citywide Systems of Out-of-School Time Programs
As municipal leaders across the United States begin to build citywide systems of out-of-school time (OST) programs that bring real benefits to children, they also are seeking ways to finance these efforts, especially in a time of fiscal austerity. Prepared by the National League of Cities with support from The Wallace Foundation, this guide describes four strategies cities have used successfully to support OST system-building. March 2009.
The Cost of Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs
The Wallace Foundation releases one of the most comprehensive studies to date analyzing the costs, funding streams, and expenditures of a wide range of high-quality out-of-school time (OST) programs. Accompanying the study is an companion online calculator that generates cost estimates for specific programs. January 2009.
Dollars and Sense: A First Look at Financing A New Day For Learning
This Cross & Joftus publication focuses on how communities can organize resources to support expanded learning, including connecting programs and services to schools by building bridges for students to connect school and out-of-school time activities; creating community networks to expand learning outside the school environment; and extending the traditional school day or school year to provide more structured time for learning and involve community partners who can share their resources and expertise. December 2008.
The Federal Role in Out-of-School Learning
Four decades of research demonstrate that it is necessary to redefine learning—both where and when it takes place—if the country is to achieve the goal of educating all of its children. This report from Harvard Family Research Project makes a research-based case for federal provision of out-of-school complementary learning supports, so that all students gain the skills necessary for success in the 21st century. This report was commissioned by the Center for Education Policy and presented at a forum on Capitol Hill in November 2008.