Issue Briefs

Afterschool: An Ally in Promoting Middle School Improvement (2012)

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the first of four issue briefs in our fifth series examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. Currently, roughly 5 percent of all U.S. schools are chronically underperforming. This brief explains the Department of Education's School Improvement Grants (SIG) aimed at turning around America's lowest performing schools, and discusses the role afterschool programs can play in supporting this effort.

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Student-Centered Learning in Afterschool: Putting Students' Needs and Interests First (2011)

Now more than ever, creativity and imagination are an important part of helping children learn to think critically, solve problems and express themselves - all necessary to compete in today's global community. Wherever children are - in school or out - [student-centered learning opportunities] work to surround them with opportunities to develop skills and nurture talents that lead to success.

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Literacy in Afterschool: A Building Block for Learning and Development (2011)

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the last of four issue briefs in our fourth series examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief emphasizes the dramatic literacy gap between low- and high-income students, and explores how afterschool programs are uniquely positioned to fill those opportunity gaps and support the acquisition of reading and writing skills among underserved youth to help them develop a brighter future.

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Service-Learning in Afterschool: Helping Students Grow and Communities Prosper (2011)

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the third of four issue briefs in our fourth series examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief addresses the difference between community service and service-learning, discusses the benefits of service learning and outlines how afterschool programs are already promoting service learning.

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Afterschool: A Strategy for Addressing and Preventing Middle School Bullying (2011)

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the second of four issue briefs in our fourth series examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief emphasizes how afterschool programs, in partnership with schools, parents and the wider community, can help produce more emboldened students that know how to stand up to bullies, thereby promoting a bully-free environment in which all students can learn and grow.

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Aligning Afterschool with the Regular School Day: The Perfect Complement (2011)

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the first of four issue briefs in our fourth series examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief discusses the benefits of aligning afterschool with the regular school day, including attacking the achievement gap, and provides strategies necessary for making alignment successful.

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English Language Learners: Becoming Fluent in Afterschool (2011)

English Language Learners (ELLs), a diverse group of individuals from across the world who are learning English for the first time, make up the fastest growing segment of the student population in United States public schools. This issue brief displays how the extra time and hands-on learning experiences provided by quality afterschool programs can allow for a specialized, less-formal learning environment in which ELLs can develop language and social skills that otherwise could not be addressed through the less flexible schedule of the regular school day.

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Afterschool and Working Families in Wake of the Great Recession (2011)

Though the economy shows signs of recovery, it is evident that the Great Recession has had dramatic effects on the accessibility of employment for parents, the availability of affordable afterschool programs and, most of all, the education and future of our nation's youth. This brief examines the ways in which afterschool programs have coped with the difficulties brought on by the economic downturn and its impactful effects on children, families and communities.

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Quality Afterschool: Helping Programs Achieve It and Policies Support It (2011)

For years, policy makers, program directors and parents have attested to the widespread benefits of afterschool, backing their claims with extensive research. Promoting quality in afterschool is one way to ensure researchers continue to find positive outcomes that encourage increased investments in programming. This brief highlights the positive impacts of high-quality afterschool programs and shares program characteristics, available tools, current support systems, and federal policies that can better boost quality in afterschool programs.

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Afterschool: Supporting Career and College Pathways for Middle School-Age Youth (2011)

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the third of four issue briefs in this series examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief focuses on the importance of high school and postsecondary school completion for career readiness, and highlights the opportunities afterschool programs can provide to expose students to higher education options and career paths.

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