Recent Afterschool Snacks
JUN
10
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)—chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee—along with the support of all of the Democrats on the Committee, has posted an Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization bill to replace the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. The committee is expected to discuss and mark up the bill tomorrow. A Republican bill, Every Child Ready for College or Career Act, led by HELP Committee Ranking Member Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), was released late last week.
Chairman Harkin’s bill, the
Strengthening America’s Schools Act of 2013, supports teachers and principals to help provide high-quality instruction, ensures disadvantaged students get the supports they need to succeed, and focuses federal attention on supporting states and districts in turning around low-performing schools and closing achievement gaps.
With regard to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative the bill is very similar to the one that passed the Committee in the fall of 2011. Our main concern is that in an era of sequestration and budget cuts, the language in the bill will dilute and divert much-needed afterschool dollars to pay for a longer school day. In addition, the bill would allow 21st CCLC to fund activities normally funded by local education agencies such as teacher planning time and more time in a traditional classroom. It would also allow the funds to be used for wholescale school redesign, which could be an expensive drain on a stretched funding stream. There are other ways to fund a longer school day without cutting afterschool programming and these are included in Sen. Harkin’s bill. Currently, more than $13 billion in federal funding through Title I, Race to the Top, School Improvements Grants and I3 grants are already available to fund a longer school day.
We do applaud changes in the bill that allow for better reporting and data sharing between schools and community based organizations working with students. Specifically Section 4107 of the bill, which addresses 21st CCLC, states:
funds would still flow by formula to state education agencies that would then hold competitions at the state level. Partnerships of local education agencies (LEA) and public entities or non-profit organizations would be eligible to apply for funding, with either the LEA or the public entity or non-profit serving as the lead funded entity.
Like the 2011 Senate ESEA legislation, eligible entities will have the option of applying for funds to provide afterschool, summer learning and before-school programming; adding time to the school day, week or year for academics, enrichment and engagement; and/or comprehensively redesigning and expanding the school day, week or year to provide more academics, enrichment, and teacher and staff professional development.
Amendment language from the 2011 version has been included in Harkin’s new bill in order to prevent a federal preference or priority on which approach (afterschool, summer learning, expanded learning for some students, expanded learning for all students). The bill also includes a stronger requirement for partnerships between school districts and community-based organizations and public entities, with only a narrow exception for rural communities for whom the requirement would be a significant hardship. By requiring partnerships the bill goes further than current law, which only prioritizes such partnerships. The local education agencies or nonprofit and public partners can be the lead fiscal agent on 21st CCLC grants. The bill also requires collection, reporting and sharing of data and outcomes between school and community partners to inform implementation and focus programming, an area that needed improvement from current law.
While the 21st CCLC section of the legislation represents an improvement over many of the prior proposals to replace funding for afterschool programs with funding for a longer school day, concerns remain over the language within the bill that allows 21st CCLC funds to be used for expensive, whole-scale school redesign—an initiative that is also funded elsewhere in the bill through School Improvement Grants. Specifically, there is the real possibility under this legislation that 21st CCLC funds would be diverted to school reform and lengthening school days by an hour per day at the expense of providing quality afterschool programs for children an average of 14 hours per week. With 15 million children already unsupervised during the hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., policies that could add to the number of unsupervised children should be avoided.
Elsewhere in the legislation, the STEM Master Teacher Corps program includes the option of afterschool STEM education (Sec. 4225); the financial literacy section allows afterschool financial literacy education (Sec. 4312); and the Successful, Safe and Healthy Students section calls for collaboration with before- and afterschool programming to keep young people safe and provide physical activity and mental health services (Sec. 4404). With regard to youth development, the reauthorization bill addresses conditions for learning, with support for bullying prevention, positive discipline, character development, social and emotional learning, family engagement, youth violence prevention, mental health, and physical activity. A new "whole school" model that embraces the community school philosophy is added to the school turnaround interventions. More information on the bill is available
here.
While the bill will likely pass committee next week—its prospects for passing on the Senate floor are dim without bipartisan support. A recent
tracking survey found that 87 percent of education policy insiders believe ESEA reauthorization will occur after January 2015. The Harkin bill is partisan and differs considerably from the approach of Sen. Alexander’s bill, which scales back federal involvement in education. The
Every Child Ready for College or Career Act would consolidate and effectively eliminate the 21
st CCLC initiative along with more than 60 other ESEA programs as part of a flexible block grant that allows school districts to determine whether to fund afterschool programs or a variety of other programs from parent engagement to physical education and school counseling after conducting a needs assessment.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee also plans to mark up separate Republican and Democratic versions of a ESEA reauthorization bill on June 19. A blog looking at the House ESEA process will follow shortly.
Friends of afterschool can
email representatives and senators to emphasize the value and importance of afterschool and summer learning programs through June as the education committees discuss ESEA.
MAY
28
STEM
By Melissa Ballard
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Sherry Comer is the director of afterschool services in Camdenton, Missouri, and a former Afterschool Ambassador. Her school’s FIRST Robotics team went to the FIRST Robotics World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, this year. |
Every day in Camdenton, Missouri, R-III afterschool programs, change is happening. Students are developing 21stcentury skills that will carry them into the future to be successful in an ever-changing global economy.
Through FIRSTRobotics, 4th through 12th grade students in our rural community have gotten excited and engaged in what is often referred to as “the hardest fun ever!” Our teachers and technical mentors push them to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to go over, under, around and through walls that society says they can’t penetrate. FIRST is designed to create an atmosphere where students combine the excitement of sports with the rigors of STEM. Under strict rules and with limited resources and tight time limits, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to "real-world engineering" as a student can get.
Below, watch the Camdenton 4-H LASER team's winning robot in action!
Not only are our FIRST students in Camdenton introduced to STEM concepts, they are able to see the connection between what they're learning in the classroom and the real world beyond. FIRST gives students answers to questions that sometimes stop them from getting started: “Why do I need to learn science, technology, engineering or math?" and "Why do I need to understand this concept?
The Camdenton 4-H LASER (Laker Afterschool Science Engineering & Robotics) team works closely with technical mentors—expert engineers, fabricators, graphic artists, Web designers and computer programmers. They work with local business leaders who help them understand all aspects of a business and what it is like to work for a company. The only way the team can succeed is if everyone works together toward one common goal. If one team member fails to do his or her job it impacts the success of the team as a whole, just like the real world.
The core values of "gracious professionalism®" and "coopertition®" interwoven in FIRST are what the coaches and I, as well as the Camdenton R-III school district, value most. It is part of the ethos of FIRST; a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others and respects individuals and the community. With gracious professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Coopertition, or displaying unqualified kindness and respect in the face of fierce competition, is built on the idea that teams can and should help and cooperate with each other, even as they compete. Both of these values become a way of life that carries over into students' daily lives.
The Challenges of Rural Afterschool Programs
Camdenton is a decidedly rural community, but with a few unique aspects. The population of the town is 3,200, but we have 4,200 K-12 students on campus between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm daily, because the school district covers 372 square miles. There is little industry and no big corporations to support the robotics teams. FIRST was implemented at Camdenton in 2009 with 21 high school members and three adult mentors. In the four short years since, the program has grown to include an additional 250 students in grades 4-12 and will expand next year with the addition of the Junior FIRST LEGO League program for students in grades 1-3. The growth is extraordinary, testimony to what the program means to our students, our school and our community. In fact, the elementary teams are formed using a lottery system, because demand surpasses the school's resources of space, staffing and financing. With respect to the latter—money—we face a particular challenge rooted in our rural setting: We have to travel to Kansas City or St. Louis to compete (three hours one-way.)
We're fortunate that the Camdenton R-III School District and community have embraced FIRST. Camdenton Optimist member and STEM Alliance organizer John Albright says that “FIRST has been life-changing for many of the youth that participate in Camdenton’s afterschool program. One hundred percent of the graduating seniors have gone on to universities and are majoring in STEM-related fields for the last four years! What an incredible testament to the community, school, mentors and coaches. Our students are being accepted at some of the most prestigious colleges in the United States because of their involvement with FIRST robotics.”
The Camdenton 4-H LASER teams have to be creative to operate. With no large corporate sponsorship, the students and mentors rely heavily on 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) funding to support their STEM efforts. The team also wrote successful NASA and Boeing grant proposals to help pay competition fees. Other sponsorship includes local business such as Sakelaris Ford, which sponsors the team’s largest fundraising effort. Numerous other businesses provide funding, meals, mentors, materials and support.
In an effort to repay the community for its incredible support of the afterschool program, the FIRST LASER teams from elementary to high school levels give back with service projects each year. They've raised money for the Joplin Tornado Relief Fund to help Joplin High School form a robotics class after the 2011 F5 tornado destroyed their schools and community; they've also raised money for breast cancer research and to support a Citizens Against Domestic Violence children’s play room. FIRST encourages teams to become involved with their community and always to leave the world a better place.
Providing opportunities that our students might not otherwise have in a rural area is what FIRST and our other afterschool programs are all about. We want our youth to have options and the same opportunities that students from urban and metropolitan areas have in regard to STEM careers and exploration. I want the fifth-grader who said she wants to be an astronaut to still be saying that when she's a high school senior.
MAY
14
LIGHTS ON
By Sarah Simpson
We’ve gotten a TON of awesome Lights On Afterschool poster entries so far! (Shout-out to Albuquerque Public Schools YDI/Marmon After-School Program for the amazing banner!) One of these posters could be the winner—OR it could still be out there somewhere! Send us your entry by June 1!
MAY
10
FUNDING
By Sarah Simpson
A new grant competition will award $150,000 to libraries, museums, and other nonprofits to provide hands-on learning opportunities this summer for youth across the country to help make the online experience more civil, safe and empowering. The Project:Connect Summer Youth Programming Competition is administered by the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC), with support from the MacArthur Foundation through a grant to the University of California, Irvine, and in partnership with the Born This Way Foundation. Grants will support a series of local hands-on events July through September where young people collaborate and compete through activities such as hackathons, maker spaces, digital journalism and communications labs, and mentoring workshops. Programs must be based on the understanding that learning happens anywhere, anytime and should be equitable, social, participatory, and reflect kids’ interests. Applications are due June 10. More information can be found on the Digital Media and Learning Competition website.
MAY
8
NEWS ROUNDUP
By Molly Tomlinson
Two C.K. McClatchy High School seniors, John Spurlock and Keenan Harris, took first place in the policy debate division at the national Tournament of Champions last month. The win was unexpected because the C.K. McClatchydebate team is an afterschool program and has a significantly smaller budget than the private schools it was competing against. “What we feel is important is hard work and showing teams like us that are without gigantic coaching staffs or huge travel budgets that success is possible,” Harris told the Sacramento Bee.
The D.C. Council unanimously voted this week to increase funding for summer school by $4 million and to continue teaching as many city students as possible over the summer. The council added the extra funds after D.C. public schools said it would scale back summer classes this year. “The council also approved an ‘emergency’ declaration stating that all students who need extra instruction should be able to enroll in summer school,” the Washington Post reports.
Since January, afterschool students at Hoover Elementary in Crawfordsville have been training for a 5k run. The students started running after school through a partnership of Fuel Up to Play 60, Chartwell’s and Prairie Farms, The Paper of Montgomery County reports. Even after the afterschool program ended, the students kept running and training for a 5k race on Saturday. Proceeds from Saturday’s run will help the school buy equipment and fund next year’s afterschool program.
Afterschool students from Hoffman Elementary School were left scrambling when minutes before the Texas Solar Race Car Event at Gustafson Stadium, their entry was accidentally crushed by a fellow competitor. The students, with the help of their coach, stripped the wheels from a decommissioned car, applied superglue liberally, and returned to the track to place first in their heat and advance to the semi-finals. The team’s coach Patrick Ware told the San Antonio Express-News, “The most important thing I think they get out of it is how to work together. Things we have to learn as adults they're learning right there.” The afterschool students dedicated the past two months to their goal of engineering the fastest miniature solar car in the competition.
APR
25
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
With the House and Senate each passing their own budget resolutions last month, and the president’s budget request submitted to Congress earlier this month, the FY2014 appropriations process can now move forward. A challenge for Congress early in the process is trying to reconcile the House and Senate FY2014 budget bills. Reconciling the two is a difficult prospect as the Senate resolution has $92 billion more than the House does to fund programs.
Despite the differences, House and Senate appropriations committees have begun holding hearings on the FY2014 spending bills, including Labor, HHS, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee hearings featuring testimony by Education Secretary Arne Duncan. At the House subcommittee hearing in early April, Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) emphasized the importance of maintaining strong investments in afterschool programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative and cautioned against diverting federal afterschool funding. As part of her formal statement, LHHS Subcommittee Ranking Member DeLauro addressed the need for an increase in funding while also noting her concerns with the Administration’s proposed changes to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative:
…I am also pleased to see this budget requests a nine percent, or $100 million, increase for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers… Mr. Secretary, you know some of my concerns in this area, I am concerned that the Department's policies seem to place an emphasis on extended learning time programs over traditional after school programs, which is not what Congress authorized this program to do. I am concerned that this particular request eliminates the current formula funding to states, in favor of a national competition.
The need for additional funding for 21st CCLC was echoed by Rep. David Cicilline’s (D-RI) effort to organize a ‘Dear Colleague Letter’ in the House, signed by 43 Members asking appropriators for an increase of $100 million for 21st CCLC. The following members signed the letter:
- Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ)
- Maxine Waters (D-CA)
- Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-CA)
- Jerry McNerney (D-CA)
- Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
- Jared Huffman (D-CA)
- Lois Capps (D-CA)
- Jackie Speier (D-CA)
- Mark Takano (D-CA)
- Barbara Lee (D-CA)
- Elizabeth H. Esty (D-CT)
- Joe Courtney (D-CT)
- Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
- Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL)
- Theodore Deutch (D-FL)
- Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL)
- John Lewis (D-GA)
- David Loebsack (D-IA)
- Danny K. Davis (D-IL)
- Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL)
- Andre Carson (D-IN)
- Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD)
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- C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
- Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
- Sander M. Levin (D-MI)
- John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)
- Daniel T. Kildee (D-MI)
- Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-At Large MP)
- Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)
- Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
- Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)
- Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY)
- Brian Higgins (D-NY)
- Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
- Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY)
- Matthew A. Cartwright (D-PA)
- David N. Cicilline (D-RI)
- James R. Langevin (D-RI)
- Filemon Vela (D-TX)
- Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA)
- Bobby Scott (D-VA)
- Mark Pocan (D-WI)
- Gwen Moore (D-WI)
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Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is leading a similar effort in the Senate asking for an increase of $250 million over sequestration levels. As of today, 14 senators have joined Sen. Boxer on the letter. Afterschool advocates are also weighing in on the need for additional federal funding for afterschool programs, having sent 1,300 emails to Members of Congress since February. There is still time to make your voice heard as well:
contact Congress via email to express support for federal afterschool funding as part of the FY2014 appropriations process.
APR
22
LIGHTS ON
By Sarah Simpson
We’ve gotten some great submissions for this year’s Lights On Afterschool poster, but we think there’s even more afterschool talent out there—and we want to see it! That’s why we’re extending the poster deadline to June 1, 2013.
And to help afterschool artists explore their creative side, our friends at Discount School Supply are offering $500 art supplies to this year’s poster contest winner!
Win $500 in Art Supplies from Discount School Supply!
Enter to win $500 in Colorations Art Supplies from our valued partner, Discount School Supply! DSS salutes all the creative artists who participate in Lights on Afterschool and contribute their imagination and drive to the vital cause of increasing the peace in their communities.
We are Discount School Supply, where arts, crafts and creativity cost you LESS. You are the movers and shakers who change the world, one child at a time. Thank you for your business and for your inspiration. Anna Reyner, Director of Training, Discount School Supply. For free art ideas visit our Art & Creativity Blog at annareyner.wordpress.com
Receive a free copy of our Recreation or Arts & Crafts catalog by calling 800# 627-2829, or visiting our website at www.discountschoolsupply.com.
APR
10
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
Today the president released his budget request for the upcoming 2014 fiscal year, which begins this October. With regard to support for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative, the president requested $1.25 billion—reflecting an increase of $100 million from FY2012 levels (pre-sequester levels). As was the case in his budget request last year, the president proposes to radically change 21st CCLC to a competitive grant at the federal level as well as prioritizing 21st CCLC grant funding for new purposes including adding time to the traditional school day or year, and for teacher planning and professional development.
In a challenging budget environment in which many programs face consolidation or elimination, the proposed increase in 21st CCLC in the budget request demonstrates the importance and value of expanded learning opportunities. Unfortunately, in the budget documents and most notably in the budget justification, the president makes the preference for expanded learning time (ELT) clear by indicating that unless ESEA is reauthorized before FY2014 begins, the Administration will request authority to use the $100 million increase for competitive grants to support ELT models.
The Afterschool Alliance supports 21st CCLC funds being directed to high-quality afterschool, before-school and summer learning programs that focus on hands-on, engaged learning that complements and enhances but does not replicate the traditional school day. While not mentioned in the president’s budget, the Afterschool Alliance feels strongly that 21st CCLC funding should continue to support the partnerships between schools and community- and faith-based organizations that help children improve academically, socially and behaviorally while parents are at work. For more information on expanded learning, see our expanded learning resource page.
Additional Education Department funding that supports afterschool and summer learning includes $14.5 billion (level with FY2012) for Title I and $300 million for Promise Neighborhoods. The Safe, Successful and Healthy Students program would consolidate safe and drug free schools activities as well as school counseling and the Physical Education Program into one $280 million program. Note that all budget request amounts in the president's 2014 budget do not reflect the sequester and assume Congress will restore the funds cut by the March 1, 2013, deadline. The Department of Education’s budget summary is online.
Other budget news for the afterschool community:
School Safety
The president has proposed a new, comprehensive plan, Now is the Time, to protect schools and communities by reducing gun violence and providing resources to schools. Approximately $112 million in new funds are targeted to help to prepare schools for emergencies, create nurturing school climates and provide intensive supports to students who are exposed to violence. Other activities include collecting data on indicators of school safety and providing guidance on school discipline policies.
High School Redesign
Another new initiative is the $300 million High School Redesign program that that promotes innovative ways to prepare youth to be college and career ready, including, “career-related experiences or competencies, obtained through organized internships and mentorships, structured work-based learning, and other related experiences.”
National Service
The budget requests $1.06 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), roughly even with the Fiscal Year 2012 enacted level. The funding level supports 82,000 AmeriCorps members, includes $49 million for the Social Innovation Fund, and creates the George H.W. Bush Volunteer Generation Fund, a $10 million program focused on improving the capacity of nonprofits to effectively manage and sustain volunteers. The CNCS AmeriCorps and VISTA programs help support afterschool programs.
Child Care Development Fund (CCDF)
The budget provides an additional $200 million in discretionary funds for states to support high-quality child care (including health and safety) in 2014 as well as a $500 million increase in mandatory funding for CCDF. Over the next 10 years, a total of $7 billion is invested to maintain the availability of child care subsidies. The budget invests $1.4 billion in new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships to support states and communities in expanding the availability of high-quality learning opportunities for our youngest children.
Community Service Block Grant (CSBG)
The budget cuts CSBG by almost half, providing just $350 million for FY2014. The budget proposes to use competition to target the funds to high-performing agencies that are most successful in meeting important community needs.
Juvenile Justice
The budget renews efforts to promote juvenile justice and prevent youth violence. The budget provides $332 million for the Department of Justice's Juvenile Justice programs and includes evidence-based investments to prevent youth violence, including $25 million to fund the Community-Based Violence Prevention Initiative to provide grants to replicate successful community-based interventions to control shootings and other serious gang violence, and $4 million for the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, which provides assistance for selected communities across the nation to develop and implement youth violence strategies. The budget also includes $20 million for the Juvenile Justice Realignment Incentive Grants, which, in tandem with the $30 million reserved for Juvenile Accountability Block Grants, will assist states that are pursuing evidence-based, juvenile justice system alignment to foster better outcomes for young people, less costly use of incarceration and increased public safety. Further, the budget makes available $23 million for research and pilot projects focused on developing appropriate responses to youth exposed to violence.
STEM
The budget proposes a comprehensive reorganization of STEM education programs to increase the impact of federal investments in four areas: K-12 instruction, undergraduate education, graduate fellowships, and education activities that typically take place outside the classroom—all with a focus on increasing participation and opportunities for individuals from groups historically underrepresented in these fields. The reorganization involves a consolidation of nearly 90 programs across 11 different agencies. Nearly $180 million will be redirected from these consolidated programs toward the Department of Education, National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution to implement core initiatives in these four priority areas.
The Department of Education will restructure its own existing efforts to lead an initiative around improving K-12 STEM education. The budget invests $150 million, redirected from within the department and from other agencies, to support STEM Innovation Networks, which would be districts or consortia of districts working in partnership with universities, science agencies, museums, businesses and other educational entities. These public-private partnerships will work to harness local, regional and national resources to dramatically transform teaching and learning by implementing research-based practices, supporting innovation and building capacity at both school and district levels.
Also included in the Department of Education budget is $80 million for STEM Teacher Pathways to offer competitive grants to recruit, train and place talented recent college graduates and mid-career professionals in the STEM fields in high-need schools and $35 million to establish a new STEM Master Teacher Corps. STEM Master Teacher Corps members would make a multi-year commitment to build a community of teaching practice where they live, help students excel in math and science while taking on leadership and mentorship roles in their schools and communities and the broader STEM field, and receive annual stipends on top of their base salaries for their service in the Corps. Recognizing many agencies currently engage in various informal education activities to get the public, students and teachers interested in their missions and research, the budget redirects $25 million from these agencies to the Smithsonian Institution to improve the reach of informal education activities by ensuring that they are aligned with state standards and are relevant to the classroom. Look for follow-up post on the STEM aspects of the budget early next week.
Take Action! The president’s budget is typically released in early February and the late release in mid-April follows the passage of separate FY2014 budget resolutions last month by both the House and the Senate. The budget request now goes to Congress, where budget and appropriations deliberations for FY2014 are underway. House and Senate appropriations committees are holding hearings this week and next week to hear details of the education budget request from Sec. Duncan. Friends of afterschool programs can contact their Members of Congress to express support for 21st CCLC and federal funding for afterschool programs.
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