Weekly Media Roundup, November 28, 2018

After-School Programs Keep Learning Going With Student Data, Education Week

The Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA) is a unique partnership between the city government and Metro Nashville Public Schools that equips afterschool providers and public schools to share student data with each other. Afterschool providers who join NAZA’s network receive 12 hours of free training each year on how to use data from students’ schools to tailor programming. They also meet with district teachers biannually to discuss students’ progress. The initiative has empowered the school district to reach out to the afterschool network to meet specific needs, such as connecting a group of students struggling with math to an afterschool program that is able to help. “The value of data sharing isn’t just about gaining knowledge but about collaboration,” school district official Laura Hansen told Education Week. “Data is the magnet that brings people together under a shared understanding of what needs to be done.”

New College of Charleston Squash Courts Big Boost to Kids on Point Mentoring Program, The Post and Courier (South Carolina)

In the Kids On Point afterschool program in Charleston, South Carolina, children in grades five through 12 play squash and receive mentorship and academic support from College of Charleston student volunteers. The College of Charleston recently dedicated five new squash courts on its campus to the program, and the university setting helps build students’ interest in higher education. “It’s incredible to see the kids that started with us when they were in the fifth grade and are now attending college,” Executive Director Lauren Herterich told the Post and Courier. “They’ve been able to achieve their dreams and go to college. It’s all we’d hoped for when we started the program.”

$10K Grant to Help Y Feed STEM Education, Hastings Tribune (Nebraska)

Starting in January, the Hastings Family YMCA in Nebraska will offer a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) afterschool learning pathway that students begin in preschool and can follow through high school. The YMCA’s afterschool programs recently received funds to expand their STEM curriculum and will offer hands-on activities that evolve with students’ grade levels, including wiring, coding and robotics. The program hopes to spark interest in STEM careers and ultimately build the community’s skilled workforce. “We know if kids are engaged in something, they fall in love with something or are passionate about something, they behave better. We know they get better grades. We know they stay out of trouble,” Hastings YMCA CEO Troy Stickles told the Hastings Tribune.

YMCA and Lantern of Saybrook Work to Bring Generations Together, Star Beacon (Ohio)

To celebrate Thanksgiving, children in the YMCA Success Before/Afterschool Program in Ashtabula County, Ohio, sang, danced and made crafts with seniors at the Lantern of Saybrook nursing home. Lantern of Saybrook regularly hosts afterschool programs to provide social opportunities for its residents. In turn, children learn from the seniors’ experiences and explore career opportunities in elder care. “The kids interacting with the elderly helps them gain social and emotional skills because often times they’re only interacting with other younger children and young adults,” YMCA staff member Madeline Smith told the Star Beacon.