It makes sense: Take kids who are usually sitting on the couch watching television, subtract the sitting around, add a fun, engaging afterschool program that gets them moving like the Medical College of Georgia’s FitKid Program and you’ll get a group of healthier kids.
So why aren’t more programs like Georgia’s FitKid Program or the Mark Teixeira-endorsed Harlem RBI program getting funded? Simply put: A lack of awareness for government officials.
Mark’s high-profile Congressional visits and this impactful new study are certainly steps in the right direction to make federal, state and local leaders aware of the impact of wellness-focused programs, but strong advocates and afterschool leaders can provide even more powerful voices to ensure that the successes of programs like FitKid do not fall on deaf ears. Share this new study’s findings to you federal, state and local leaders and share the successes of your program’s health and wellness curriculum.
You can find out more about the methodology, reults and conlusions of “The Impact of a 3-Year After-School Obesity Prevention Program in Elementary School” report and also why more needs to be done in the summer time to promote fitness for youth here.
Please take a moment to complete this short survey to share successes earned by your afterschool program, or a program you know well. You will be entered in a drawing to win a Kindle Fire or a $10 iTunes gift certificate. Three Kindle Fire winners will be drawn from the highest quality submissions. Fifty iTunes gift certificate winners will be drawn at random. You must send in your submission by the new extended January 31, 2012 deadline, to be eligible to win a prize.
We need these examples of success to strengthen support for investments in quality programs. They will also provide information critical to improving programs across the country. We are particularly concerned with sharing the successes of programs that have received 21st Century Community Learning Center funds as we press for increased funding for 21st CCLC. Please share examples of programs that boost student success in school (e.g., behavior, attendance, grades, academic skills, grade advancement) or provide engaging learning opportunities in areas such as STEM, digital learning, arts, health/nutrition, global learning and physical activity, to name a few. Click here to complete the survey.
The survey is part of a new campaign by the Afterschool Alliance and Terry Peterson, longtime associate of former U.S. Secretary of Education Dick Riley and now Senior Fellow at the College of Charleston—with support from the Mott Foundation—to collect and share the many success stories of afterschool programs nationwide. Selected success stories will receive national attention in print and Web materials and will be shared with Congress. Materials will be sent to you for your own promotional use.
If you have questions or suggestions for this effort, please contact Chris D'Agostino at cdagostino@afterschoolalliance.org or (202) 347-2030.
1 When will the results from the survey be released? -- Emily P
2 Emily, the survey will be used to find successful programs which will be released in an on-going compendium on afterschool supported by the C.S. Mott Foundation. The compendium's first edition was just released and can be found here: http://www.expandinglearning.org/research.html. -- Chris D'Agostino
The achievement gap in the United States is a well-documented issue that pervades every aspect of society, and one of its essential cogs is the disconnect in reading and writing achievement between low-income children and those from more affluent backgrounds. Low-income students across the U.S. are falling behind in basic literacy skills due to unequal opportunities to learn both at home and in the classroom, and research shows that children who fall behind in literacy in their early years can struggle with reading into adulthood, leaving a population of Americans without the basic skills necessary to function in a 21st century job market.A new issue brief sponsored by MetLife Foundation 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 build a brighter future.
photo credit: America SCORES
The brief, entitled “Literacy in Afterschool: A Building Block for Learning and Development,” explores how high-quality afterschool programs can offer middle school children the additional learning time and skills needed to make up for literacy losses and discusses why the middle school years are particularly crucial to children’s reading development. Additionally, the brief, which was released in November 2011, highlights innovative programs across the country that are proving that afterschool and literacy learning can be a powerful combination for students.
Intervention during the middle school years is vital to overturn losses that occur in elementary school and give children who have fallen behind a second chance to get back on track to successful literacy development. This brief shows that more time to learn in an afterschool program that provides innovative literacy enrichment opportunities can be a great avenue for middle school students to make academic advances in the classroom and developmental advances in life.
Community service in all forms undoubtedly has great benefits for those who get involved, but a developing learning too called service-learning, which incorporates meaningful community service with learning objectives and reflections, has shown to have potentially even more powerful advantages for participants. The differences between community service and service-learning lie primarily in the focus on direct learning objectives in service-learning, but with various definitions for both terms, there are a number of key ways in which they differ:
Service-Learning
Community Service
Includes an academic component
Typically does not have an academic focus
Allows youth to plan their own service projects with group discussions and brainstorming sessions
Usually planned by adults or a party other than those participating
Focuses on learning about broader social issues outside the scope of the project
Learning occurs but is not intentional
Includes reflection on the project goals and outcomes through discussions, writing or presentations
Reflection is not an essential focus
Example: Students in a middle school environmental science program help preserve the natural habitat of animals living in a nearby forest
Example: Students take part in a community-wide park clean up event developed by the mayor’s office
A new issue brief released by the Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation discusses these differences and dissects the important benefits that service-learning-focused afterschool programs can have on middle school youth. Not only does service-learning present an enhanced and more practical understanding of school-day lessons, but it also provides opportunities for students to grow socially and emotionally. The brief entitled “Service-learning in Afterschool: Helping Students Grow and Communities Prosper” shows that when middle schoolers learn through hands-on service-learning projects that they have developed themselves, the potential for learning and development is limitless. Additionally, the issue brief displays how afterschool programs are perfectly positioned to fulfill middle schooler’s service-learning needs and to develop better students now and stronger service advocates for the future. Successful afterschool programs across the country are implementing service-learning in unique and inventive ways, check out our new brief to find out how your program can join in on the movement.
Bullying is a problem in America’s schools. This fact is not groundbreaking news, but a new issue brief by the Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation provides a novel way that schools and communities can help combat bullying: by utilizing quality, effective afterschool programs. The brief entitled “Afterschool: A Strategy for Addressing and Preventing Middle School Bullying” exhibits how afterschool programs that provide access to caring adults and offer a more informal environment that is distinct from the school day allow children to feel safe from peer pressure, build confidence and learn how to deal with bullies.
The brief delves into every aspect of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and displays the potentially damaging future effects that peer intimidation can have on both the person being bullied and the bullies themselves. In particular, it highlights how dangerous the middle school years can be for children, showing that middle school students – who are undergoing physical, social and emotional transitions – are particularly vulnerable to teasing and intimidation. However, the brief counters with successful examples, showing that afterschool programs can have immense benefits on children’s social and emotional well-being by offering them a sense of community, a chance to develop leadership skills and safe place to go once the school day ends. Beneficial programs across the country are aiding in the fight against bullying and teaching children that aggressive and detrimental behaviors are not something to be taken lightly, and this new issue brief shows everyone from Members of Congress to afterschool program leaders and even the President of the United States are acutely aware of the need for intervention and aid for students that struggle with bullying.
Afterschool programs, with their unique position as a less formal and more open learning environment, can provide middle school youth with the knowledge and attitudes necessary to combat bullying both in school and online, leading to healthy youth development and a happier generation of students.
LA's BESThas been a fantastic model of successful afterschool programming since its inception in 1988. By providing afterschool enrichment programs to more than 28,000 high need children throughout Los Angeles, the program has made a lasting impression on the city and its inhabitants. Even celebrities like Usher and Forest Whitaker have taken notice, throwing their public support behind the praiseworthy program. More recently, actressElizabeth Banks made LA’s BEST her official causewith a media campaign to promote the program. The program’s success, though, hinges on its powerful effects on student achievement. Evaluation after evaluation show that students who attend LA’s BEST afterschool core academic and enrichment programs are less likely to drop out of school and take part in risky behaviors and more likely to succeed academically.
Achievement increases the more students attend LA’s BEST. Students demonstrated gains in math, language arts, science and history in middle school.
Those students taking general math began showing benefits to their GPA at 50 days, while those taking algebra, science, and/or history showed benefits to their GPA by 80 days.
In addition, benefits to GPA in language arts were found for students who attended a minimum of 140 days.
LA’s BEST participants also demonstrated higher California Standardized Test (CST) scores in general math and algebra, with the greatest benefits being found for those who attend a minimum of 140 days.
Those students who attend LA’s BEST 140 days or more were more likely to take both semesters of Algebra.
This study really speaks to the importance of sustained participation in afterschool enrichment programs. Being able to creatively engage participants so that they remain interested in the program for the duration of the school year is invaluable. Though LA’s BEST is without question one of the most successful afterschool programs in the country, regular attendance over 140 days was still required before the full potential effects of the program became clear.
All in all this evaluation was another triumph for one of the country’s premiere afterschool examples. Hopefully with the release of this data and more support from the community, the program can offer its proven, effective enrichment model to even more children throughout Los Angeles.
Findings from this study and other new reports can be found in an update to our Evaluations Backgrounder, coming in January 2012.
There is no denying that U.S. students need more time to learn, but it's also important that children are learning in a variety of ways that build upon each other so that each child has a chance to succeed at something that truly sparks their interest. Although afterschool programs are rightly praised for a more informal structure responsive to student interests and passions, many programs have done excellent work in aligning their curricula and content with the traditional school day. Afterschool is at its best when it complements and coordinates with – but does not replicate – the learning that occurs during the formal school day.In this way, aligning afterschool with the regular school day can ensure that children are receiving a variety of enrichment activities to promote improved success in school.
A new issue brief written by the Afterschool Alliance with support from MetLife Foundation entitled "Aligning Afterschool with the Regular School Day: The Perfect Complement" highlights afterschool programs that have taken steps to align their content with that offered during school and discusses how programs can ensure youth participants have ample opportunity to reinforce and practice the skills they need to succeed in an afterschool environment.
The brief shows that afterschool programs that are aligned with the school day curriculum can support student learning and attack the achievement gap by offering additional supports to struggling students that complement and reinforce learning that takes place in the classroom in new and exciting ways. Collaboration and alignment among schools, expanded learning programs and the greater community offers students the opportunity to enjoy a complementary learning environment where they can truly thrive.
English Language Learners (ELLs) are made up of a diverse group of individuals from across the world who are learning English for the first time. They also make up the fastest growing segment of the student population in United States public schools. With more and more ELLs entering U.S. public schools, there should be an increased focus on getting these students prepared to learn along with their English speaking peers; however, many schools are struggling to find the time and resources needed to aid ELLs, and therefore, English Language Learners have lagged behind their English-speaking peers in academic achievement. Here, quality afterschool programs, with less rigid structures, provide an environment where ELLs can hone their English speaking skills so that they can become English proficient and succeed in school. While some afterschool programs are offering these supports and seeing great results among their ELL populations, more programs with expertise in supporting ELLs are needed to keep up with the number of ELL students entering U.S. public schools.
A new issue brief by the Afterschool Alliance displays how the extra time and hands-on learning experiences provided by quality afterschool programs can allow for a specialized learning environment in which ELLs can develop language and social skills that otherwise could not be addressed through the less flexible schedule and resources of the regular school day.The brief entitled “English Language Learners: Becoming Fluent in Afterschool” provides insights into successful ELL-focused afterschool efforts currently in existence, offers policy recommendations to increase the capacity of afterschool programs serving ELLs and shows how other programs can address the issues facing ELLs in their communities. With school days that are increasingly focused on stringent curriculums and testing, many ELL students have much to gain from the less formal enrichment available outside of the school day. Afterschool programs, with lower student-staff ratios, flexible schedules and informal environments, are needed now more than ever to better target the individual of ELL students and provide a chance to practice communicating in their new language.
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