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Weekly Media Roundup: June 27, 2024

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Weekly Media Roundup: June 27, 2024

The Surprising Reason Black Schools Face a ‘Fiscal Cliff’ This Fall, Word in Black

As federal COVID emergency funds expire this fall, Black students around the country are at risk of losing access to afterschool programs and other supports that students in better-funded school districts have long taken for granted. “These opportunities have been created through ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Act) dollars,” Jen Rinehart, senior vice president of the Afterschool Alliance, tells Word in Black. “With the deadline for the spending coming up, we’re concerned that many of those young people will lose out on programs that they and their families have really begun to rely on.” A Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report warns that many school districts may now face a fiscal cliff that could result in painful cuts.

FBP Joins Summer Learning Fun with Careers for Kids Program, Chillicothe Gazette (Ohio)

In Chillicothe, Ohio, students are exploring STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) careers through hands-on, engaging experiments and activities at the Careers for Kids summer program. Formerly the College for Kids program, the summer education program is a collaborative effort between Ross-Pike Educational Service District and Fluor-BWXT environmental remediation company. “We decided to move towards careers to expose students at a young age to all of the possibilities around them and ignite some interests,” Ross-Pike Educational Service District Special Education/Gifted Supervisor Tricia Crawford tells the Chillicothe Gazette. “If they experience fun activities that are career related, it might stick with them and help guide them as they get older and choose a pathway.”

Michigan Students Make History Representing Afterschool Programs at State Capitol, WZZM-13 (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

The eight members of Michigan's first-ever class of Youth After School Ambassadors, chosen by the Michigan Afterschool Partnership, visited with state lawmakers in Lansing for "Capitol Day" last month just as legislators were finalizing next year’s budget. The students, ages 13 – 17, were among some 250 people who shared the benefits offered by afterschool programs. Youth Ambassador Sean McDonald tells WZZM-13 that the New City Kids afterschool program “feels like second home. I was in the foster care system for almost all my life. So coming here… even when you're down at your lowest point, there's always something here that brings you up to a higher level."

Backpack League Combats Summer Slide With Fun and Learning, Spectrum News 1 (Louisville, Kentucky)

Some 6,500 Jefferson County Public School students are participating in the school district’s Summer Backpack League, to get ready for the school year this fall. The program gives incoming 1st through 8th graders exposure to obstacle course races, robotics, coding, and other STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities. “Study after study indicates that engagement and learning activities during the summer months will prevent that summer slide and improve academic learning outcomes during the regular school year,” Chris Burba, the school district’s executive director for student programs and student learning, tells Spectrum News 1. “And that’s what we are here for.” The Summer Backpack League is a collaboration between the school district and Evolve 502, a nonprofit working to help students succeed.

Weekly Media Roundup: August 14, 2024

Virginia Designates Additional Aid for At-Risk Students, Virginia Mercury (Virginia) Beginning this fall, Virginia schools will have an additional $180 million per year to support at-risk students. A 2023 study found that Virginia provided less state funding for at-risk students than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 7, 2024

Chicago Touts After-School Program Growth But Cuts Funding, Chalkbeat Weeks before the school year begins, many Chicago afterschool programs are facing dramatic funding cuts as federal COVID funds wind down and Chicago Public Schools is allocating fewer resources to out-of-school time programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 31, 2024

A North Texas School District is Offering a Free Dinner Program for Students This Year, WFAA (Texas) This fall, Fort Worth Independent School District is partnering with Sodexo to provide free dinners at its afterschool enrichment programs. “We are excited about the opportunities this...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 24, 2024

Davis Promotes Afterschool Programs in McKeesport Visit, The Mon Valley Independent (Pennsylvania) To celebrate Pennsylvania’s new BOOST (Building Opportunity through Out of School Time) initiative, which includes $11.5 million for afterschool, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis visited...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 17, 2024

The Dog Days of Summer Drag. Summer Learning Programs Can Help, The Journal (Colorado) To celebrate National Summer Learning Week, 360 students across nine Colorado counties wrote postcards to their state lawmakers about why they love their summer learning programs. “I think summer camp is...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/17/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 10, 2024

Education Matters: Central Valley Schools Are Expanding Students’ Learning Experiences,Your Central Valley (California) Thanks to a series of partnerships with county offices and Community Youth Ministries, students in the Selma Unified and Kings Canyon Unified School Districts in Fresno,...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/10/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 3, 2024

Inside a Summer Learning Camp With an Uncertain Future After ESSER, Education Week More than 1,400 students are participating in Grizzly Learning Camp, a free, seven-week summer learning program run by Ypsilanti Community Schools in Michigan. It uses project-based learning – including...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/03/24

Weekly Media Roundup: June 27, 2024

The Surprising Reason Black Schools Face a ‘Fiscal Cliff’ This Fall, Word in Black As federal COVID emergency funds expire this fall, Black students around the country are at risk of losing access to afterschool programs and other supports that students in better-funded school...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      06/26/24

Weekly Media Roundup: June 20, 2024

Parents in Viroqua Come Together for the 'Save the After School Program' Campaign, WXOW (Wisconsin) At the McIntosh Memorial Library’s afterschool program in Viroqua, Wisconsin, students take part in outdoor games, visit local arts organizations, read to a therapy dog named Gordon,...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      06/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: June 12, 2024

Tacoma's Late Night Summer Youth Program Aims to Curb Violence, Fox 13 Seattle (Washington) At 12 locations across Tacoma this summer, middle and high schoolers are taking part in Summer Late Nights programming held by Metro Parks Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools. Each weeknight, teens can...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      06/12/24