Afterschool Alliance Research

Building Workforce Skills in Afterschool (Nov 2017)

A strong and vibrant economy is reliant on a strong and vibrant workforce equipped with the necessary skills, competencies, and knowledge. This issue brief highlights the ladder of supports afterschool and summer learning programs provide to help students develop the skills and gain the experience that will benefit them in the workforce, from building students’ communication and teamwork skills in elementary school to connecting students to internships and apprenticeships in high school. In addition to this issue brief, six complementary in-depth afterschool program profiles highlight different roles programs play to build students’ workforce skills:

Building students’ foundational skills and competencies that will help them in the workforce and in life

• Minneapolis Beacons

Introducing students to new interests, opening their eyes to potential career pathways

• MedTWO
• The City
• YWCA Greater Miami-Dade Clubhouse

Providing real-world work experiences that help build students’ familiarity with and capabilities in the workforce

• EVOLUTIONS After School Program (Evoking Learning and Understanding Through Investigations in the Natural Sciences)
• Sunrise of Philadelphia

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Summary

Career & Technical Education: Preparing young people for the jobs of tomorrow

Afterschool programs are critical partners for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and help young people develop skills that employers need.

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Community STEM Collaborations that Support Children and Families

Youth are natural scientists at birth, discovering and exploring their world and trying to make sense of it. A child’s education is not limited to just the time they spend in the classroom. Children learn at home with their families, in public libraries, or through out-of-school-time experiences provided at community centers and in afterschool and summer learning programs, and even on vacations. In this paper, we endeavor to make the case that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) is an ideal subject area that can engage children with fun, active learning activities. It is also an important societal area around which parents, librarians, and OST providers can collaborate and complement the work of schools.

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Credit for Learning: Making Learning Outside of School Count (Nov 2021)

Creating new and engaging learning opportunities for middle and high school students can help them find their inspiration, gain skills that will benefit them in and outside of the classroom, and play an active role in designing their own learning journey to reach their full potential. This issue brief, complemented by in-depth afterschool program profiles, explores the ways in which afterschool programs can provide older youth with opportunities to explore their interests and participate in activities that also allow them to earn credits toward their graduation requirements.

• Riverzedge Arts and Laconia School District’s Extended Learning Opportunities program: Integrating youth voice and student created curriculum to promote engagement
• YouthForce NOLA and L.E.A.D. Afterschool program: Creating a path for career exploration and readiness
• FabNewport: Fostering relationships to create a strong sense of belonging
• Sail Academy: Leveraging school partnerships to best serve students

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Digital Media & Learning in Afterschool (February 2013)

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the last 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. This brief discusses the growing importance of digital media and technology in education, the "digital divide" between high- and low-income communities, and the many opportunities and challenges the afterschool field faces with implementing equitable digital learning.

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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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Evaluations Backgrounder 

A compilation of evaluations of afterschool programs looking at academic outcomes, student behavior and parental concerns about children’s safety.

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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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Evaluations Backgrounder: A Summary of Formal Evaluations of Afterschool Programs' Impact on Academics, Behavior, Safety and Family Life (2013)

Afterschool programs have been operating across the country for decades, and federal investment in afterschool has increased dramatically since the mid-1990s. Still, more investment is needed to meet growing demand.  As public demand and need for afterschool have grown, so too has the demand for accountability. This backgrounder contains research demonstrating the impact of afterschool programs on participant's academic achievement, behavior, safety, and overall wellness.

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Evaluations Backgrounder: A Summary of Formal Evaluations of Afterschool Programs’ Impact on Academics, Behavior, Safety and Family Life (2015)

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 outlining the positive impacts of afterschool programs on academic performances, behavior, safety, attendance, avoidance of risky behaviors and parental involvement, and the importance of frequency and duration of participation in seeing these benefits.

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