The Promise of Expanded Learning in Texas – A summit on afterschool and summer in Texas

“I used to go to school because that’s what you do. Now I go to school to learn about things that I love and that love came from out-of-school time,” said Miranda, a Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew member, during the youth voice panel at the Promise of Expanded Learning summit on October 29, 2024. The summit was hosted by the Texas Out-of-school Time Partnership (TXPOST) and Big Thought, with support from The Wallace Foundation. Miranda’s fellow youth, Omer and Jathan, had similar insights into their afterschool programs, sharing how the staff in the programs played a role in helping them participate in the program and build lasting relationships with peers and adults.

Texas has made strides in expanding supports for afterschool and summer programming over the last 5 years. In 2019, the Texas legislature passed HB3, creating the Additional Days School Year (ADSY) program. This initiative provides additional formula funding to school districts that add up to 30 instructional days for grades PK-5, much of this instruction taking place during the summer months in the form of summer learning programs. In addition to the increased formula funding to schools, the ADSY Planning and Execution Program (ADSY PEP) was created with a combination of public and private funds to support local education agencies (LEAs) in planning and program design to add additional days to the school calendar.

The summit was an opportunity to showcase the progress made in expanded learning programs across Texas, and draw attention to the impacts these programs have made in improved education outcomes of participants.  Data shared by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) showed students who participated in ADSY PEP summer programs saw larger gains in both math and reading. Data was also shared that showed high levels of Texas ACE (21st Century Community Learning Centers) program attendance is associated with positive attendance and academic outcomes, reducing chronic absenteeism, and high rates of STAAR exam passage.

The summit also provided an opportunity to share new research from the American Institutes for Research (AIR), commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, on Texas summer learning from a recent study, Applying Summer Learning Evidence: How Texas State Policy Supports Strong Programming. The findings explore how Texas is scaling and sustaining strong summer programs grounded in the evidence of what works in summer learning, and how the Texas Education Agency is supporting local school systems in planning and implementing ADSY summer learning programs. 

Deb Maroney, Vice President at AIR, presented the findings from the study, digging further into the planning assistance offered to districts by ADSY PEP and how the technical assistance is supported by $114 million in state, federal, and private funding, including funding from American Rescue Plan and support from the Wallace Foundation. The study included interviews and surveys with more than 60 LEAs, from rural to suburban to urban, observed programming from a number of LEAs, analyzed data from programs, and reviewed the planning tools and resources provided to LEAs through ADSY PEP. 

Findings from the study point to the impact the planning and technical assistance provided to LEAs has had on implementation of strong summer programs. According to AIR’s study, the state’s decision to invest in planning and implementation through ADSY PEP “spurred the design and implementation of strong summer programs grounded in evidence across the state. The planning program raised the bar on the requirements for each LEA’s summer learning program and created an infrastructure for the robust program planning that prior research has indicated is critical.” The types of support provided by the state to LEAs included a focus on planning; program design; budgeting; data collection and continuous improvement; staffing and professional development; support for marketing, student recruitment, and attendance; academics and enrichment; and program climate and culture.

In addition to the findings, recommendations to state policymakers on how they can support similar summer learning efforts were included. These recommendations include supporting the implementation of summer learning programs by offering funding, tools, and technical assistance to the LEAs or program operators, similar to those supports offered by ADSY PEP. Additionally, incorporating evidence-based design principles into the planning tools or templates are necessary to ensuring fidelity in these programs. Finally, providing autonomy to LEAs that empowers the summer learning programs to meet the needs of their communities allows for these programs to be suited to their context and students and family needs. More on the policy recommendations are provided on page 18 of the report.

The summit was an opportunity to bring together legislators, school and out of school time (OST) leaders, business leaders, community members, and youth from across Texas to celebrate the work happening in afterschool and summer programs across the state and identify ways to increase that support and expand opportunities to participate in these valuable programs.

After all, according to one of the speakers, “Out-of-school time is not extra. It’s needed. The results speak for themselves.”