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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.

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:

• This past March several schools in Houston Independent School District (HISD) in Texas began serving free afterschool meals to students. Meals will be offered through the district to students attending 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) at 32 HISD schools to ensure students receive healthy and nutritious meals on a regular basis. The meals are made possible through the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program and the district hopes to expand meal service to 50 schools next school year. The local CBS affiliate reported that district officials see the latest endeavor as one that is beneficial for students beyond measure: “For some children, these dinner meals may be the only meal they eat until the next school day so this program will strive to provide them the proper nutrition they need for a healthy development,” said Jonnelle Hollins, manager of HISD afterschool programs. “Offering free dinner at school will ensure that thousands of students have access to the recommended three meals a day.”
• This spring, the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix, Arizona, pilot tested an afterschool meal program that allows students participating in afterschool programs to have a balanced meal. The ABC affiliate in Phoenix reported that the school principal at C. O. Greenfield School has seen the effects of hunger in his students and often works with local food banks to ensure families have food at home.
• Bucyrus City Schools in north central Ohio recently added afterschool meals to its menu of meals served to students. The afterschool meal program was launched as a pilot program this month and serves students in the BEST (Building Excellent Students Together) afterschool program, and could expand afterschool meal service to more students and sites for the 2013-2014 school year. The BEST program serves elementary students in grades 3-5 through the 21^st CCLC initiative.
• In Spokane, Washington, the Northeast Youth Center is serving afterschool meals six days a week through CACFP.  A recent meal, reported by the Spokane Spokesman, included a teriyaki chicken sandwich, green beans, orange slices and milk. “We are pretty excited about this,” said Kate Zehner Green, executive director and accounts manager at the youth center, while watching the children eat. “This is why we are here. There is such a need in this neighborhood.” Green said the youth center had been working on bringing in an afterschool meal program for some time, but once the center applied for this program, it took less than a month to get it going.

Afterschool programs are able to participate in the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program as sponsors or as feeding sites by: partnering with their school nutrition department or food bank, preparing their own meals, or providing pre-assembled meals by working with a vendor. Learn more about the different CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program options here.

What stood out most to me during the webinar was just how well-situated afterschool programs are to support students’ learning and growth under the Common Core.  Jenell highlighted afterschool programs in Wisconsin that are helping their kids achieve under the Common Core in innovative and promising ways.  For example, The Goodman Community Center, one program she reviewed, excels at connecting the afterschool program to learning that takes place during the school day.  The afterschool program has eight school day teachers on staff who help develop academic enrichment activities using the CCSS; the program sends monthly newsletters to teachers at each school; and program staff attend Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings for students enrolled in the program, attend school functions and also observe their students during the school day.  The program also collects data on their students’ grades, test scores, behavior and attendance to develop a portfolio for each student that identifies their needs and helps assess their progress.  This individualized analysis not only monitors students’ progress, but it allows staff to most effectively help students develop mastery of subject content in areas such as reading and writing. 

As a resource for afterschool programs that are looking to learn more about the Common Core and how to use it to complement their programming, NJSACC developed Supporting Student Success (S₃).  Sarah shared that NJSACC worked with 10 afterschool programs, providing webinar training and technical support to plan and implement program activities that support the Common Core, creating a community that facilitates peer-to-peer learning and administering assessment to look at the impact of the training.  One example of an afterschool program taking part in the project was the 21^st Century Community Learning Center in Pemberton, NJ.  Through the project, the program created a reading program aligned with English language arts Common Core.  However, the program made certain that the program content developed was engaging and looked different than reading taking place during the school day.  For instance, reading groups were based on a student’s interest, rather than their reading level.  The mixed reading level groups allowed students to help one another and become more enthusiastic about reading because it was tied to something relevant and meaningful in their lives.  Sarah revealed that students in the program felt that participation made them more engaged in their classes during the school day and also helped them better understand what they were taught during the school day.

The webinar was one hour long, but I wish it could have been longer to hear more about these afterschool programs that show just how valuable the out-of-school hours are to the implementation of the Common Core and preparing students for success in school, college and career.  On the bright side, there are a number of resources out there to learn more about the role afterschool programs can play to support the Common Core, and be sure to check back here as we continue to share more information related to the Common Core.