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Weekly Media Roundup: July 14, 2021

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Weekly Media Roundup: July 14, 2021

Expanded Summer School Programs Will Focus on Emotional, Academic Gaps Caused by COVID, NorthJersey.com (New Jersey)

Students in Northern New Jersey will spend the summer boosting their academic skills through project-based and game-based learning while exploring fun activities and topics such as yoga, theater, detective stories, horticulture and more. Local school districts are using federal funds to redesign their summer programming to support students social and emotional needs and reengage students after a year of remote learning. “We recognize that there is learning loss,  but we feel that summer is not the time to make the students feel inadequate. The pandemic forced us to rethink what we offer in the summer and bring them back to school with a really positive spin,” Anna Sciacca, superintendent of Garfield Public Schools, told NorthJersey.com.

Traverse City Native Alex Goldsmith Is Changing Lives, Traverse City Ticker (Michigan)

Despite the challenges of launching a new center during a pandemic, the New City Kids afterschool program in Traverse City, Michigan has provided in-person programs to children and created job opportunities for teenagers. Elementary and middle school students participate in a variety of classes, including music and tutoring, that are taught by high schoolers. “We hire local teenagers from local high schools, we train them, and then they’re the leaders in our afterschool center,” Executive Director Alex Goldsmith told the Traverse City Ticker. “It’s these teens that are teaching, mentoring, and tutoring the younger students.” The high schoolers also have the opportunity to participate in college preparation as well as leadership and finance classes.

Andy Roddick Foundation expands virtual offerings for afterschool learning with new kits, Austin American-Statesman (Texas)

For the past 20 years, the Andy Roddick Foundation has supported afterschool and summer programs in Austin elementary schools. Like many other programs, they had to swing from in-person to online assistance very quickly. As a result, they created Whatchamafeelit Kits, social emotional toolboxes that have a variety of activities to engage and encourage students. The kits gave students outside of Austin the chance to participate in the foundation’s program. The former tennis star notes the staff is looking forward to seeing the students in-person this fall. "Their fuel is the hugs and smiles they get from our kids. I know those are desperately needed,” Roddick told the Austin American-Stateman.

Drones, Yoga, and Math: Summer School Looks Different This Year for Michigan Students, Chalkbeat

 Across the state of Michigan, districts are using federal stimulus funds to expand their summer offerings. In Detroit, students will develop their creative writing skills and do hands-on science experiments. In West Bloomfield, high schoolers will try meditation. Many districts are partnering with afterschool programs to expand their programming. “Community-based after-school/summer learning programs can help schools reach more students and provide the necessary staff, academic, and social emotional support, and connect with students and families that might be disengaged from school. There’s no need to recreate the wheel. These programs have demonstrated impact and are critical to the recovery of Michigan’s students,” Erin Skene-Pratt, interim network lead for the Michigan Afterschool Partnership, told Chalkbeat

Weekly Media Roundup: March 20, 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU Are Helping an Arizona School District. Here's How, Arizona Republic (Arizona) Matthew McConaughey and Arizona State University (ASU) have teamed up to help a Phoenix-area school district apply for federal afterschool funding included in the Bipartisan Safer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 13, 2024

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic. One Group is Tackling the Problem By Helping Their Parents, Hechinger Report In North Carolina, nearly one third of English language learning students were chronically absent last year, a rate significantly higher than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/13/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 6, 2024

Charlotte Afterschool Program Aims to Break Cycle of Youth Crime and Violence, WBTV (North Carolina) In response to the 33 percent rise in juvenile gun violence in Charlotte, North Carolina, county leaders presented The Way Forward plan to city council members this week. The plan includes...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/06/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 28, 2024

Program Designed to Boost Reading Rates in NW Tallahassee is Reaching More Students, WTXL (Florida) At Springwood Elementary School’s afterschool program in Tallahassee, Florida, students are paired with volunteers from United Way’s ReadingPals program, working together to improve...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 21, 2024

Missoula After-School Program for BIPOC Youth Creating Next Generation of Leaders, KTVQ-TV (Montana) At the Association for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Youth afterschool program in Missoula, Montana, students of color build community, take part in mindfulness activities, and develop...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 14, 2024

Viewpoint: Invest in Out-of-School Programs to Help Solve State’s Educational Challenges, South Bend Tribune (Indiana) Indiana lawmakers are considering continuing the state’s pandemic-era investments in out-of-school time learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 7, 2024

Rangers Star Welcomes Kids to the Ice in After School Program, NBC4 (New York) With help from a donation from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, 50 students in the WHEDco (Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation) afterschool program in the South Bronx are lacing up skates and...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 31, 2024

Advocates of Afterschool Opportunities Rally in Albany for $119M Funding Boost, Spectrum News 1 (New York) On Tuesday, afterschool leaders, students, and lawmakers gathered in Albany, New York to press for an additional $119 million in state funding to ensure universal access to afterschool. At...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 24, 2024

'Articulate Their Pain': Preventing Teen Suicide Through the Power of Music, Spectrum News 1 (North Carolina) DDAAT-App, a mental health nonprofit with an afterschool program in Charlotte, North Carolina, is partnering with The Bridge, a music studio, to give students access to recording...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 17, 2024

Bessie Coleman After School Aviation Program to be Tested in Oklahoma, General Aviation News (Oklahoma) Sixth and 7th graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma are exploring careers in aerospace and aeronautics by building planes, flying drones, and participating in other hands-on projects thanks to a...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/17/24