Recent Afterschool Snacks
JUN
19
NEWS ROUNDUP
By Molly Tomlinson
“A successful after-school program that stopped running recently after 16 years may soon serve the children of Hesperia again,” the Daily Press reports. The Hesperia Recreation and Park District’s board agreed to reinstate the long-running afterschool program last week. The program was eliminated for the 2011-12 school year after state education standards prohibited the park district to partner with the school district.
Leesburg area middle and high school students are spending their summer teaching rising fourth and fifth graders about career and life opportunities that exist in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The students are taking part in NASA’s Summer of Innovation, and organizers expect about 130 elementary students to participate in the summer learning program. Students will learn about aeronautics, robotics, the solar system and life sciences.
Earlier this week at a county education summit, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams said he is looking to double access to afterschool programs in the county. The education summit gathered community, school and government leaders to network and brainstorm about high quality preschool and afterschool programs for low-income and at-risk students. The Deseret News reports that “McAdams said his goal in hosting the education summit was to facilitate dialogue between the various educational entities and service organizations in the county.”
The Janesville School District expanded its summer meals program, serving 75,000 meals (breakfast and lunch) this summer, up from 57,000 last summer and 20,000 the summer before. This year the program will continue to serve meals into August and past the end of summer school in July. Jim Degan, the district’s food services and nutrition manager, told the Walworth County Today that he was happy to expand the program to meet the needs of the community. “I wish we were in a society where children would not miss meals and not go hungry, but that’s not the way of the world,” he said.
JUN
18
STEM
By Melissa Ballard
Alyssa Schwenk is the research associate at Change the Equation, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM education nationwide. To that end, they have developed iOn Future, a program geared toward sparking middle schoolers’ interest in a STEM career.
Looking for a way to introduce your students to the wide world of STEM this summer? Try iOn Future, an online learning suite featuring four STEM-centric games. iOn Future helps middle schoolers see how STEM is used every day in their own world, and helps them identify what STEM careers might be most interesting to them. It's designed to support and extend programming around STEM and STEM careers. Leaders can use the game to preview units on STEM careers, and students can use the game independently to explore career paths of interest to them like astrobiology, oceanography or mechanical engineering. Download the iOn Future Learning Guide or visit iOnFuture.org to learn more.
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In the STEM Career Matchmaker game, students can choose topics of interest and are returned a list of careers that match. They can further sort careers by the skills needed, education level required and the potential salary they can make.
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JUN
17
POLICY
By Jen Rinehart
As the official start of summer nears, things have been heating up here in D.C.—and not just the temperature. Congress has really kicked into action on reauthorizations. Check out Erik Peterson’s blog posts on all the recent Congressional activity for more details on that.
But, federal law makers can’t even compete with the work that state legislators have been doing to support afterschool and summer learning in recent months. In fact, a number of state legislatures recently passed (not just introduced!) afterschool related legislation:
- In Illinois, legislators demonstrated their commitment to supporting children and youth in the hours after school by passing a 2014 state budget that included a new $10 million afterschool funding stream to be administered by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, a 7 percent increase to Teen REACH funding—from $8.2 million to $8.8 million, funding for local afterschool initiatives like After School Matters and continued support for child care.
In Massachusetts, the legislature voted to increase the After School and Out of School Time (ASOST) Quality Grant by 15 percent, ensuring the first new dollars for the grant since 2009. Massachusetts also saw the continued investment of $3 million to the Gateway Cities-Afterschool and Summer Enrichment & Acceleration Academies for English Language Learners and increases for the arts, summer learning and violence prevention programs. Check out the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership’s recap of the final recommendations for all afterschool and youth-related budget line items. Additionally, the Governor’s STEM Council prioritized out-of-school time programs and its partnership with the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership through a March 2013 announcement of incentive fund awards to three regional STEM networks.- In Texas, legislation establishing an Expanded Learning Opportunities Council was passed by both houses. The Council is the first afterschool and summer dedicated policy in Texas, which makes it a big win for Texas advocates and lays the groundwork for future legislative activity in the state. Texas now joins a number of other states—including Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Nevada and Iowa—that have expanded learning opportunity legislative task forces, commissions or studies. Check out the National Conference of State Legislatures’ brief on State Policies Supporting Learning Outside the School Day for more info on state policy and afterschool.
Kudos to the afterschool and summer learning advocates in these states for helping move this legislation along. These are especially big wins given the budget challenges plaguing states today and are a clear sign of how much state legislators value the role of afterschool and summer programs in keeping kids safe, inspiring learning and supporting working families. If you’ve recently had a legislative win in your state, add it to the discussion here by commenting below!
JUN
17
RESEARCH
By Alexis Steines
Two reports released last week show that despite a modestly improving economy and nationwide efforts to increase participation in federal meal programs, childhood hunger remains a problem.
The reports were released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America, two major anti-hunger advocacy organizations, just in time for Summer Food Service Week. Participation in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) increased slightly last summer, but not enough to reverse three years of declining participation. According to the FRAC report, Hunger Doesnt Take a Vacation, program participation increased for the first time since 2008, with 2.8 million children participating in the program on an average July weekday. Last July, 13,000 more children participated in the program than in July 2011. While the increase is encouraging, it is not enough to reverse three years of declines. In summer 2012, 99,000 fewer children were participating in than in 2008. Hunger Doesnt Take a Vacation measures participation in the summer nutrition programs by comparing the number of children receiving summer meals to the number of children receiving school lunch during the school year.
Feeding America also released its annual Map the Meal Gap report this week. Map the Meal Gap is an annual report showing the rates of food insecurity, or hunger, across the country. Using the report's interactive map, you can find the rates of food insecurity for children and adults in every county in the United States. The report, which looked at 2011 data, found that 50 million individuals are food insecure, including 17 million children. Afterschool, before school and summer learning programs can play a significant role in reducing hunger by increasing access to critical child nutrition programs. If you operate a summer learning program, consider participating in the Summer Food Service Program.
During the academic year, afterschool program providers can serve meals through the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program. The Afterschool Alliance continues to do considerable work to increase participation in these vital programs. AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers in Arkansas, California, Michigan, New Mexico and Pennsylvania are working hard to raise awareness of these programs, as well as encourage afterschool and summer learning programs to participate.
JUN
17
IN THE FIELD
By Sarah Keller
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.
JUN
17
POLICY
By Sarah Keller
Markup and discussion of legislation to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) began on June 11 in the Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. ESEA was last reauthorized in 2002 and Congress has attempted to reauthorize it since 2007. HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D- IA) introduced the latest incarnation of the statute, Strengthening America's Schools Act (SASA), last week with the support of all committee Democrats. Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced his own version of the statute last week, Every Child Ready for College or Career, which was also debated during the markup.
The markup began with opening statements by Sens. Harkin and Alexander. While both expressed a desire to come together on a bipartisan bill, the ideological differences on the role the federal government should play in education eventually proved to be too big. During his opening statement Sen. Harkin stressed the need for a partnership between federal, state and local governments. In addition, he talked about how SASA maintains requirements many states currently have through ESEA waivers. Sen. Alexander used his opening statement to discuss his vision of states being free from the mandates in No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the current version of ESEA. He believes that Sen. Harkin’s bill continues those mandates, creating a “national school board,” which he adamantly opposes. Sen. Alexander also noted that the divergent views on the federal government’s role in education is reflected in the size of the two bills: Sen. Harkin’s bill is 1150 pages, compared to Sen. Alexander’s 220 page bill. The debate over the federal government’s role in education continued while discussing Sen. Alexander’s substitute bill amendment. After considerable discussion between senators of both parties, Sen. Alexander’s bill amendment failed by a party line vote of 10-12.
From the afterschool perspective, Sen. Kay Hagan’s (D-NC) amendment to include increased learning time as part of 2 of the 4 school turnaround models would codify existing Department of Education policy. While speaking in support of the amendment Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) noted that increased learning time can include a partnership with high quality afterschool programs. Sen. Alexander argued that increased learning time is only useful if the underlying schools, teachers and support staff are quality educators. The amendment passed by a voice vote with no audible objections.
This previous blog includes more on the impact of the bill on afterschool programs.
At the conclusion of the markup, Chairman Harkin reiterated his hope that the bill would move to the Senate floor for debate. He and Sen. Alexander said that they would like the bill to receive a full debate from the Senate and be subject to an open and inclusive amendment process on the floor.
Of the 40 amendments that had been filed before the two-day proceedings, 10 were adopted—nine from Democrats and one from a Republican. Of course, the partisan vote on the final bill conveys the philosophical differences between the parties on the federal role in K-12 education. The House Education and the Workforce Committee is expected to mark up their ESEA reauthorization bill later this month.
There's still time for friends of afterschool to
email representatives and senators to emphasize the value and importance of afterschool and summer learning programs through June as the education committees discuss ESEA.
JUN
12
NEWS ROUNDUP
By Molly Tomlinson
“Summer learning is not merely about adding days to the school calendar. It is about creating life-changing experiences that help students thrive. More learning time in the hands of great teachers, great nonprofits, and students themselves activates academic content, builds background knowledge, and develops the skills necessary for success in school, college, and careers,” Boston After School and Beyond Executive Director Chris Smith wrote in a Boston Globe letter-to-the-editor responding to an article questioning if the school day should be extended. “These experiences, while beneficial to most students, are essential for some students, particularly those who have not succeeded in traditional school settings. Let’s talk about more learningtime, but let’s also explore how to use time for more active learning, more skills development, and more transformational learning experiences.”
“Twenty-two young ladies from the Reading Recreation Commission's after-school program got a chance to get some tips on fancy living, taking a trip to Judy's on Cherry restaurant for a bit of fine dining and etiquette lessons,” the Reading Eagle reports. The event was aimed at getting the students exposed to new experiences and out of their comfort zones. For some of the afterschool students, it was the first time they got dressed up to go out to dinner.
Thanks to a READ UP grant from the U.S. Department of Education, more than 300,000 children’s books will be distributed to families in Dona Ana County this summer. The program is an eight-week project that encourages parents to read with their children 20 minutes a day by providing books for children and information and incentives for parents once a week. Weekly reading events will be held at community centers, public parks and other locations around the county.
Five Ithaca area high school students will conduct research that takes advantage of new opportunities in DNA sequencing technology and the availability of fully sequenced genomes as part of the Plant Genome Research Program-Research Experience for Undergraduates (PGRP-REU) at Cornell University’s Boyce Thompson Institute, the Press & Sun Bulletin reports. The summer scientists’ internships are supported locally by the Ithaca Garden Club and members of the community.
JUN
11
POLICY
By Alexis Steines
Three nationally recognized afterschool leaders were in Washington, D.C. on Monday for a discussion on expanded learning policy at the local and federal levels. The Senate briefing, Policy Perspectives in Expanded Learning: Lessons Learned at the Local Level and Implications for Federal Policy, featured Jennifer Peck, executive director of the Partnership for Children and Youth in California; Laura Hansen, director of information management and decision support for the Metro Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee; and Christina Russell, managing director for Policy Studies Associates, Inc. in Washington, D.C. It was sponsored by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS).
The briefing focused on the value of intermediary organizations, quality and accountability, and school and community partnerships. Jennifer Peck spoke about the role of intermediary organizations in supporting school and community partnerships and the implications for student achievement. Her organization, the Partnership for Children and Youth, serves as an intermediary organization for afterschool programs in California's Bay Area. She showcased impressive data demonstrating how summer learning programs significantly increased the grade-level vocabulary of students who participated. She stated that these results occurred due to strong partnerships between schools and non-profit agencies.
Laura Hansen discussed the importance of data sharing to ensure program accountability and quality. The Metro Nashville School District shares data with the Nashville After Zone Alliance, the intermediary organization that coordinates middle school afterschool programs. The data is used by program staff to determine program placement. She stated that data sharing should not be one way, but a mutual effort between community-based organizations and school districts. Federal privacy laws, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), do not prevent sharing of all data.
The final speaker, Christina Russell, shared research supporting school-community partnerships. Her findings confirmed what many of us in the afterschool world already know: effective community partnerships are vital to supporting quality afterschool programs. Effective community partnerships complement the school day, have a shared vision between school and community partners, have regular communication between the partners, explicitly focus on building youth skills, and share expectations for student participation. Russell found that the impact of afterschool programs on youth was strongest for students who attended frequently and for longer periods of time. The quality of the programs also matters, as does having an explicit focus. The speakers each confirmed the special nature of afterschool programs. Strong community partnerships are essential for successful, quality afterschool programs. Intermediary organizations are one way to facilitate these partnerships throughout a community.
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