Afterschool Alliance Research

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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Afterschool Innovations in Brief: Engaging Middle School Youth (2011)

With support from MetLife Foundation, the Afterschool Alliance is proud to present this compendium of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth, schools and communities, and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. The four briefs address: the multiple benefits of afterschool for middle school youth; Science, Technology, Math and Engineering (STEM); health and wellness for pre-teens and teens; and pathways to higher education and careers.

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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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Evaluations Backgrounder: A Summary of Formal Evaluations of Afterschool Programs' Impact on Academics, Behavior, Safety and Family Life (2011)

The most recent evaluations available today continue to support the important role afterschool plays in student development and success. This updated evaluations backgrounder includes new research, from the local to national scale, demonstrating the impact of afterschool programs on participants’ academic achievement, behavior, safety, and wellness, as well as the support they provide working families.

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Afterschool Innovations in Brief: Focusing on Older Youth (2009)

With support from MetLife Foundation, the Afterschool Alliance is proud to present this compendium of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing older youth, and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. The four briefs address: opening doors to work and careers; the challenge of recruiting and retaining older youth; high school dropout prevention; and a place for older youth to mentor and be mentored.

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Roadmap to Afterschool for All (2009)

With the Harvard School of Public Health and through support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Atlantic Philanthropies, the Afterschool Alliance initiated the Roadmap to Afterschool for All, a scientific study assessing current investment in afterschool programs from the public sector, parents, foundations and businesses. The study also estimated the additional investment required to provide quality afterschool programs for all children. This study shows that funding of all types is insufficient, and the cost burden is falling heavily on parents, even among programs serving high-poverty children.

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