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Weekly Media Roundup: July 17, 2019

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Weekly Media Roundup: July 17, 2019

Pittsburgh Public's Summer Dreamers Academy Still a Success After 10 Years, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania)

More than 1,500 students entering kindergarten through eighth grade participate in the Pittsburgh Summer Dreamers Academy, where they learn about nutrition, practice reading, create art, play African drums and more. In 2011, the Summer Dreamers Academy partnered with the Wallace Foundation and the RAND Corporation to expand and study its programming; the resulting research demonstrated the program boosts student achievement in some areas. “That, I think, should be a real point of pride for the Pittsburgh folks to contribute to summer learning that is now widely cited by others,” Ann Stone, senior research officer for the Wallace Foundation, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “What we're thrilled about is that this priority on summer has continued in Pittsburgh over many years.”

Rodarte Community Center Celebrates 40 Years of Enriching the Lives of Greeley Youth, Greeley Tribune (Texas)

Last week, more than 150 people attended a festival to celebrate the Rodarte Community Center’s 40th birthday in Greeley, Texas. The center offers a variety of afterschool programming for children, including boxing to boost physical fitness and art to encourage creativity. “The Rodarte is certainly one of the gems that has enriched the lives of youth for going on 40 years,” Greeley Mayor John Gates told the Greeley Tribune. “It allows kids someplace to go afterschool and gives them a venue to stay safe, meet people and get involved in activities.”

At Greensboro Freedom School, Each Day Starts with a Dance, Associated Press/Education Week

Inspirational literature, chants and songs take center stage at the Greensboro Freedom School, hosted by Providence Baptist Church in North Carolina. The program is designed to encourage students’ love of learning and boost their confidence through culturally diverse books, field trips and relationships with college mentors. This summer, guest speakers have included a local high school principal and former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye. Each student receives two meals a day as well as a book each week. “Each child is developing their own library at home,” the Reverend Darryl Arron told Education Week. “We are investing in peoples’ lives.”

North Tulsa Youth Program Recognized for Helping At-Risk Kids Stay on the Right Path During Summer, Tulsa World (Oklahoma)

At the YouthWorks summer learning program, about 125 children care for ranch animals, run a pizza business, study reading and math, and play basketball on a court designed by the Oklahoma City Thunder. According to Executive Director Chris Beach, students raise their reading skills by an average of 1.48 grade levels over the course of the 10-week program. YouthWorks was recently selected as one of eight finalists for the National Summer Learning Association’s (NSLA) annual Summer Learning Awards. NSLA “told us they like our model where children serve as leaders. They like the hands-on learning opportunities. We believe that’s the best way for a child to learn, to let them be leaders and learn what it’s like to lead and to take responsibility,” Beach told the Tulsa World.

Weekly Media Roundup: March 20, 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU Are Helping an Arizona School District. Here's How, Arizona Republic (Arizona) Matthew McConaughey and Arizona State University (ASU) have teamed up to help a Phoenix-area school district apply for federal afterschool funding included in the Bipartisan Safer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 13, 2024

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic. One Group is Tackling the Problem By Helping Their Parents, Hechinger Report In North Carolina, nearly one third of English language learning students were chronically absent last year, a rate significantly higher than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/13/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 6, 2024

Charlotte Afterschool Program Aims to Break Cycle of Youth Crime and Violence, WBTV (North Carolina) In response to the 33 percent rise in juvenile gun violence in Charlotte, North Carolina, county leaders presented The Way Forward plan to city council members this week. The plan includes...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/06/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 28, 2024

Program Designed to Boost Reading Rates in NW Tallahassee is Reaching More Students, WTXL (Florida) At Springwood Elementary School’s afterschool program in Tallahassee, Florida, students are paired with volunteers from United Way’s ReadingPals program, working together to improve...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 21, 2024

Missoula After-School Program for BIPOC Youth Creating Next Generation of Leaders, KTVQ-TV (Montana) At the Association for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Youth afterschool program in Missoula, Montana, students of color build community, take part in mindfulness activities, and develop...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 14, 2024

Viewpoint: Invest in Out-of-School Programs to Help Solve State’s Educational Challenges, South Bend Tribune (Indiana) Indiana lawmakers are considering continuing the state’s pandemic-era investments in out-of-school time learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 7, 2024

Rangers Star Welcomes Kids to the Ice in After School Program, NBC4 (New York) With help from a donation from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, 50 students in the WHEDco (Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation) afterschool program in the South Bronx are lacing up skates and...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 31, 2024

Advocates of Afterschool Opportunities Rally in Albany for $119M Funding Boost, Spectrum News 1 (New York) On Tuesday, afterschool leaders, students, and lawmakers gathered in Albany, New York to press for an additional $119 million in state funding to ensure universal access to afterschool. At...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 24, 2024

'Articulate Their Pain': Preventing Teen Suicide Through the Power of Music, Spectrum News 1 (North Carolina) DDAAT-App, a mental health nonprofit with an afterschool program in Charlotte, North Carolina, is partnering with The Bridge, a music studio, to give students access to recording...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 17, 2024

Bessie Coleman After School Aviation Program to be Tested in Oklahoma, General Aviation News (Oklahoma) Sixth and 7th graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma are exploring careers in aerospace and aeronautics by building planes, flying drones, and participating in other hands-on projects thanks to a...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/17/24