Sarah Keller is an intern at the Afterschool Alliance this summer. She is mainly working on policy issues. She has a JD from Georgia State University College of Law and a BA in Political Science from the University of Georgia.
Earlier this month the Coalition for Community Schools recognized three individual schools (Harmon Johnson Elementary School, Sacramento, CA; Hillcrest Elementary School, San Francisco, CA; and Roosevelt Elementary School, Allentown, PA) and two community school initiatives (Cincinnati Community Learning Centers in Ohio and Hartford Community Schools in Connecticut) for their outstanding work as community schools at a briefing on Capitol Hill. These schools engage the entire community to ensure that students maximize their full potential. They realize the interrelationship between a student’s academic, social and emotional needs and find ways to address those needs.
Afterschool programs play an important role in these community schools. Teachers and afterschool program staff work together so that the afterschool activities enhance the school’s curriculum. For example, Hillcrest employs “linked-day” staff members who support classroom staff during the school day and then use the same teaching strategies at the afterschool program using project-based learning and other enrichment tools. Each Hartford community school has an educational coordinator who often works full-time as a teacher at the school and works part-time helping the afterschool program develop activities and instructional strategies that supplement the school’s curriculum and learning goals.Aligning afterschool with the school-day is a proven element of successful programs.
In addition to academic support, sports and arts are offered at these afterschool programs. For instance, Roosevelt partnered with the Allentown Symphony Association to provide a music program. This program is free for Roosevelt students due to donated instruments and snacks. Hillcrest’s afterschool program includes a volunteer-led art club and five soccer teams through the America SCORES program. All of the expanded opportunities for students in these afterschool programs have led to increased afterschool enrollment at many of the recognized schools.
The outcomes from the recognized schools are impressive. At Roosevelt Elementary, the percentage of students scoring advanced and proficient in reading increased by 19 percent from 2006 to 2011 and by 13 percent on math assessments. Parent volunteerism and participation is on the rise, more than two-dozen community members attend adult English classes, and enrollment in afterschool programs increased more than 50 percent in the past two years with more than 57 percent of the students now participating in before-, after- or summer school activities run by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Allentown and other community partners.
Last week I attended the “Reimagining Education: Empowering Learning in a Connected World” summit and was inspired and moved by the dedication and passion expressed in the room to change the current educational circumstances of young people in our nation. Everyone in attendance was focused on the goal of making sure all youth are prepared for the unique challenges of our time, equipped with the knowledge, skills and support they need to succeed. It was impressive to hear thinking around creating a new ecosystem for learning that recognizes that learning takes place everywhere and makes it relevant to young people—drawing on their interests; connecting them to their peers and to mentors; and linking both interests and relationships to academics, career and community.
I was blown away, and in some cases a little starstruck, listening to speakers that included astronaut Leland Melvin, NBA All-Star and afterschool advocate Chris Paul, Howard University student and afterschool program graduate Marcus Prince, and Digital Youth Network founder and DePaul University Associate Professor Nichole Pinkard. I walked away from the two-day event excited about the possibilities and enthusiastic to further participate in reimagining education.
The Reimagining Education summit was just the start of conversations that are taking place around the country. A great piece in the Huffington Post by Connie Yowell, director of education grantmaking at the MacArthur Foundation, and Pharrell Williams—singer, rapper, song writer, producer and education advocate—discusses what it’s going to take to create a world where all kids have the opportunity for lifetime success and shares how we can better engage, challenge and motivate youth to become lifelong learners.
You can also join the conversation at #reimagineed, connect with others interested in connected learning through the National Writing Project’s Educator Innovator, take “A Dive Into Connected Learning” by watching a webinar hosted by Alliance for Educational Excellence, and take part in events and projects through the Summer of Making and Connecting. Just last week we hosted the first of a three-part webinar series introducing the afterschool field to maker culture as a part of the Summer of Making and Connecting. Sign up for our newsletter to be one of the first to find out when our next webinar on the maker movement is taking place.
Sarah Cruz is the director of expanded learning opportunities for the Statewide Network for New Jersey’s Afterschool Communities, NJSACC. NJSACC promotes and supports the development, continuity and expansion of quality programs for children and youth during the hours after school.
We know that many afterschool programs engage youth in great hands-on experiences from arts and crafts and basketball to chess and step teams. What we need to know and promote to our colleagues and communities, policy makers and parents is how high-quality afterschool activities can support learning that takes place during the school day.
In New Jersey, we learned how this is possible from our pilot Supporting Student Success (s3). Funded by Charles S. Mott Foundation—in partnership with the National Conference of State Legislatures, Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices—we learned that afterschool programs can align and support school day learning when program leadership is intentional about the activities, experiences and interactions youth have while attending afterschool programs.
While New Jersey is clearly making bold moves to improve public education, significant budget cuts have forced school districts to seek ways to do more with less. Increasingly, school districts are looking at the out-of-school-time hours to meet their goals in a cost-effective way.
In came the 10 afterschool programs that volunteered to participate in a year of working on this project with us. They varied greatly: 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, and community education and faith-based expanded learning opportunity (ELO) providers all participated.
Each program was asked to develop a vision and a project that would ultimately help prepare students for the challenges of the Common Core. We supported their efforts by providing resources, guidance, introductory training and ongoing communication to answer any questions that arose.
During the 2012-2013 school year, the 10 sites worked on reaching the goals of s3, which were to:
Get to know what the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are
Determine how the Common Core relates to their program
We wanted the programs to demonstrate linkages between the Common Core and their program activities. We also hoped that the work they did at their sites would lead to stronger relationships with principals and teachers.
Ten different projects arose out of the groups that signed up to participate. They varied from working on professional development for the ELO and school day staff, to developing clubs that specifically addressed a particular grade group’s English/language arts and math standards, such as STEM and chess clubs. One program used their year of work to educate the students and families about what the expectations will be when the Common Core becomes fully implemented.
NJSACC supported these goals with professional development and prescriptive technical assistance based on each site’s project. Below is a program snapshot that gives more detail about the work that took place.
South Brunswick Community Ed/Club 678
South Brunswick Community Ed/Club 678, operated by the Board of Education/Community Education Office, has 80 students participating in the afterschool program and is staffed by a team of eight. The program is fee-based and receives a small number of grants to support its mission.
The afterschool program’s vision for the s3 team was to work with the administration at two local middle schools, providing afterschool support and resources in the areas where the school could use assistance meeting the CCSS for afterschool program participants.
To do this, the s3 team—made up of the afterschool director, site director and school curriculum specialist—did the following:
Evaluated existing afterschool activities related to the CCSS
Identified the potential to enhance the scope of activities that provide greater support for academic success and engagement
Implemented new clubs and designed lessons with intent to address the CCSS
Enhanced the existing homework club, and based on collaboration with the school, identified 31 students to participate
The project achieved its general goals in a short period of time and much was learned along the way. I was able to witness the programs in their efforts to be key partners helping students perform better in school. The afterschool programs—after engaging in purposeful professional development on Common Core integration—did it through fun, creative hands-on activities that are intentional in encouraging children to be engaged and interested in learning! They are still doing it, even after the pilot ended, because they see how important the work is.
Major takeaways after one year of work on the s3 project are:
Build strong relationships between afterschool and school day staff. Relationships between afterschool and school day staff need to be strong and communication should flow well and frequently. Student information should be shared in a way that is appropriate and with the intention to help children succeed. It is important to establish and build relationships first—ELOs with established school relationships had more success communicating students’ academic needs.
Professional development is a key factor in success. Non-certified teaching staff have a greater challenge comprehending the CCSS, but it can be taught. Common Core implementation requires careful analysis and proper training for all involved.
Trainings can be shared. The staff working before 3 p.m. and after 3 p.m. need the same quality of professional development and can share the resources on both sides of the bell to help students.
Select the right staff. Programs that choose staff with a strong interest in supporting student learning by connecting fun and engaging activities with academics have more success with students.
Listen to your students. Getting students interested in academic related activities was a challenge for programs at first. Programs learned that students enjoy activities that include social elements, such as book discussions, as well as activities that they select and design themselves. Giving students input and the opportunity to choose and create activities gets higher participation rates and has better outcomes for activity success.
From the afterschool program that brought you the smash hit Hot Cheetos & Takis, the Beats and Rhymes afterschool program has done it again! The program is set up by the North Community YMCA in Minneapolis, MN, and gives local kids the opportunity to work on professional-grade equipment to make rap and hip-hop videos as a reward for keeping up with schoolwork.
Now, they've followed up on last summer's viral hit with two more fun videos created by these amazing students:
@paulrosengard is the Executive Director of SPARK , developer of the world’s most-researched and field-tested health and wellness programs for youth. SPARK provides After School, Physical Education, Early Childhood, and Coordinated School Health professionals with evidence-based resources, dynamic leadership training, and age-appropriate equipment.
During my first “real job” at the Chula Vista Parks and Recreation Department, I gained a lot of experience running afterschool programs. I realized afterschool leaders are blessed with the opportunity to teach youth valuable life lessons, like the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Our nationwide obesity epidemic makes it even more important for afterschool programs to work closely with schools and parents to ensure youth move a lot and make good food choices.
Part of this team effort includes fostering opportunities for youth to engage in structured and unstructured physical activity after school. As a former youth leader, I know there are a lot of challenges to making afterschool programs movement-rich including limited time, places and spaces to move safely, a lack of equipment, and/or sometimes just the wrong equipment (not age-appropriate). After conducting multiple research projects to develop and test the effectiveness of physical education lessons, I wrote my first afterschool curriculum. In the years following, our team has updated the curriculum to help afterschool leaders overcome the challenges they face implementing physical activity programs and developing environments that support youth wellness.
There are many factors to implementing a successful physical activity program. A few are planning, variety and flexibility.
Planning ahead by choosing activities before students arrive makes it easier to begin quickly and allows more time for movement. This is also a great time to prepare and place equipment for quick access and actions.
Leading a variety of activities not only prevents youth from getting bored, it gives them access to equipment and skills they may not have experienced before and presents new choices that could become favorites—maybe for a lifetime.
As an afterschool leader, being flexible and adjusting activities is essential for success. Fine-tuning activities for varying age and skill levels, using smaller groups, fewer rules and more equipment makes it easier to get everyone engaged and moving.
Afterschool staff have a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of America’s youth. I hope you will take a few minutes to reflect on your program and what steps you might take to make it as physically and emotionally healthy as it can be. Our kids deserve it don’t they?
June 21 is Summer Learning Day—a national advocacy day offering an opportunity to showcase your community’s out-of-school time program, as well as spread the word about the importance of summer learning.Host an event during the week of June 21 or anytime during the summer!
During this national showcase, your program will want to highlight how you work to:
Maintain and advance participants' academic and developmental growth
Support working families
Keep children safe and healthy
Send young people back to school ready to learn
Are you having a Summer Learning Day event? Visit www.summerlearningdaymap.org and promote it on the National Summer Learning Association’s event map! Make sure to list your event by June 21 and you may win one free conference registration to NSLA’s Summer Changes Everything™ national conference on summer learning.
You can also visit NSLA’s website at www.summerlearning.org/SLD for more information and resources on Summer Learning Day.
The chance to hang out with LeBron James, the Miami Heat power forward, is pretty rare. But even rarer is the chance for 10 academic all-stars from Akron Public Schools Extended Learning program to be flown to Miami and share the stage with James as he was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the fourth time.
Last Friday afternoon Akron students were sitting in class at Seiberling Elementary School in Akron, Ohio, but on Sunday morning, the 10 academic all-stars were enjoying a gourmet breakfast in a swanky dining room at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, courtesy of the LeBron James Family Foundation. This was one of the many rewards for being selected out of the nearly 500 children participating in the foundation’s Wheels for Education program.
According to the foundation, the Wheels for Education program empowers children from single-parent households through innovative programming and initiatives and strengthening the ties between family members. Through the Wheels for Education program, kids make promises to go to school, do all of their homework, listen to their teachers, be helpful and respectful, and above all else, finish school.
Akron Public Schools Extended Learning program provides afterschool intervention in reading and math, along with enrichment activities in 27 elementary schools and three middle schools. Many children who attend regularly score higher than their peers on state tests. Desiree Bolden, manager of the Akron Public Schools Extended Learning program, also went on the trip and believes James leads by example.
"I can't match him in being a superstar, but I can match him in commitment, and that is so awesome. We love Akron and we love our kids," Bolden said.
Along with their Saturday flight from Cleveland to Miami, a swanky hotel room at the Mandarin Oriental and a seat on stage for the official presentation of James’ fourth NBA MVP trophy, the students were awarded with a trip to the beach and an ice cream party. James also donated a car to the afterschool program to help raise some much-needed funds.
This rare weekend trip for the 10 students in Akron Public Schools Extended Learning program was a public display of the strength and diversity of James’ relationships—with family, with friends, with teammates, with Heat officials and coaches, and perhaps most importantly, with the Akron kids he was inspiring, mentoring and, on this special weekend, transporting.
Before leaving the stage with his MVP trophy, James got a cheery salute from the Akron kids, those he promised not to let down, with anything he did on or off the court:
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@paulrosengard is the Executive Director of SPARK , developer of the world’s most-researched and field-tested health and wellness programs for youth. SPARK provides After School, Physical Education, Early Childhood, and Coordinated School Health professionals with evidence-based resources, dynamic leadership training, and age-appropriate equipment.
During my first “real job” at the Chula Vista Parks and Recreation Department, I gained a lot of experience running afterschool programs. I realized afterschool leaders are blessed with the opportunity to teach youth valuable life lessons, like the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Our nationwide obesity epidemic makes it even more important for afterschool programs to work closely with schools and parents to ensure youth move a lot and make good food choices.
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Last Friday afternoon Akron students were sitting in class at Seiberling Elementary School in Akron, Ohio, but on Sunday morning, the 10 academic all-stars were enjoying a gourmet breakfast in a swanky dining room at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, courtesy of the LeBron James Family Foundation. This was one of the many rewards for being selected out of the nearly 500 children participating in the foundation’s Wheels for Education program. 
Along with their Saturday flight from Cleveland to Miami, a swanky hotel room at the Mandarin Oriental and a seat on stage for the official presentation of James’ fourth NBA MVP trophy, the students were awarded with a trip to the beach and an ice cream party. James also donated a car to the afterschool program to help raise some much-needed funds.
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