Amy Fisher of the Child and Family Program here at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) is the editor of this issue. She pulled together diverse and extremely helpful resources whether you are planning a new program and seeking funding, or refining an established program. Many schools are expanding into the area of out-of-school time programming through 21st Century Learning Community grants and with the motivation to close the achievement gap. We have learned that critical to the success of these programs is the link between them and the regular school. They need to provide different ways of learning and playing from the school, yet build on and share the school's goals and work. OST programs have to make learning active and fun and fun activities educational. Use the feedback email link at the end of the newsletter if we can help with additional information or assistance.
Enjoy your summer. - Steffen Saifer, Program Director.
NWREL PUBLICATION
After School Programs: Good for Kids, Good for Communities. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. This concise publication offers a description of the need for programs, benefits for students, schools and communities, research-based indicators of quality programs, and synopses of 7 Northwest programs.
www.nwrel.org/request/jan99/article10.html
OVERVIEWS
Working for Children and Families: Safe and Smart After-School Programs. US Department of Education and US Department of Justice. April 2000. Detailed lists of outcomes some after-school programs have seen, with descriptions and short examples of components of exemplary programs.
www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/SafeSmart
Educational Leadership. Beyond Class Time. Vol. 58, No. 7 (April 2001). In addition to providing an overview, this issue includes articles on homework, tutoring, and enrichment activities.
www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0104/exttoc.html
A Matter of Time: Risk and Opportunity in the Out-of-School Hours. Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. April 1994. Abridged version. A look at how community organizations contribute to out-of-school time programs.
www.connectforkids.org/usr_doc/8833%2Epdf
CRITICAL AND/OR EXPANSIVE PERSPECTIVES
Future of Children. When School is Out. Vol. 9, No. 2 (Fall 1999). Articles in this issue address out-of-school time in the contexts of child and adolescent development, parenting practices, cultural differences, the role of schools, and the policy climate.
www.futureofchildren.org/wso/index.htm
Is Summer School the Answer or the Problem? Education Week. May 23, 2001. With the increased emphasis on student achievement, the role and effectiveness of summer school–and the issue of time–is being examined.
www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=37stenvall.h20&keywords=Summer%20School
Improving Student Achievement by Extending School: Is It Just a Matter of Time? By sister lab, WestEd. 1999. A more detailed look at the relationship between time and learning.
web.WestEd.org/online_pubs/timeandlearning/1_intro.html
RESEARCH AND OUTCOMES
A Broader View: The National Evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. Design Report. Mathematica Policy Research. The introduction to this report offers a nice literature review on the effects of after-school programs. Look for their first evaluation results in December.
www.mathematica.org/PDFs/broadviewvol1.pdf
Links to Afterschool Research. Links to several reports on outcomes of after-school programs.
www.afterschoolalliance.org/research_links.cfm
The Evaluation Exchange: Out of School Time Issue. Harvard Family Research Project. Discusses issues in evaluating after-school programs.
http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~hfrp/eval/issue15/evalex15.html
In addition, HFRP is currently developing an on-line database of after-school evaluation research.
gseweb.harvard.edu/~hfrp/projects/mott.html
STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES
After-School Programs and the K-8 Principal: Standards for Quality School-Age Child Care. National Association of Elementary School Principals. 1999. Describes standards and quality indicators; includes a self-assessment checklist. To order, call NAESP at (800) 386-2377. Or view the National School-Age Care Alliance standards, which the NAESP document is based on, at:
www.nsaca.org/standards_glance.htm
FUNDING
Out-of-School Time Project. The Finance Project. This site offers materials on planning and finding funding, developing partnerships, and measuring results.
www.financeproject.org/osthome.htm
Federal Funding In Out-Of-School Time with Accountability Requirements and Evaluations: Major/Minor Funding Source Facts. Harvard Family Research Project. A comprehensive description of federal funding sources.
gseweb.harvard.edu/%7Ehfrp/afterschool/New_Resources_FedFund_Facts.htm
21st Century Community Learning Centers. The major US Department of Education funding source for out-of-school time programs. This site provides information on current 21st CCLC grantees and links to resources.
www.ed.gov/21stcclc
PROGRAM PLANNING, DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating Effective After-School Programs. 2000. From sister lab, NCREL. This toolkit focuses on design and planning components such as management, collaboration, integration with the regular school day, and evaluation.
www.ncrel.org/after/bellkit.htm
Linkages: Tools and Ideas for After-School Programs. Materials and training ideas that accompany the free video, Beyond the Bell, which highlights the differing strategies of four programs. Includes a link to order the video.
www.ncrel.org/after/beyond/linkage
Tip Sheets from the National Institute on Out-of-School Time. Extensive resources and ideas on: Program Planning and Activities, Homework Help and Academic Skill-Building Activities, Development Programs for Young Adolescents, Promoting Reading and Literacy, and Effective Service-Learning Projects.
www.niost.org/tips-activities.html
Keeping Schools Open as Community Learning Centers: Extending Learning in a Safe, Drug-Free Environment Before and After School. US Department of Education and the National Community Education Association. Tips and examples regarding design issues, funding, evaluation, and building partnerships.
www.ed.gov/pubs/LearnCenters
Bringing Education to Afterschool Programs. US Department of Education. Activity ideas and lists of federal resources available.
www.ed.gov/pubs/After_School_Programs
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION
Strengthening Connections. NCREL. This resource is divided into characteristics ranging from coordination with regular day learning to engaging the public, and provides sample strategies for each characteristic that get progressively more in-depth and collaborative.
www.ncrel.org/21stcclc/connect
A Guide to Successful Public-Private Partnerships for Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives. By Sharon Deich at the Finance Project. January 2001. This article lays out some principles and strategies for creating and sustaining partnerships.
www.financeproject.org/ostpartnershipguide.pdf
UTILIZING SERVICE-LEARNING IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS
Making an Impact on Out-of-School Time: A Guide for Corporation for National Service Programs Engaged in After School, Summer, and Weekend Activities for Young People. National Institute on Out-of-School Time. June 2000. A training manual targeted to Corporation for National Service members and volunteers but useful for all program staff.
www.niost.org/cns_guide.html
Service as a Strategy in Out-of-School Time: A How-to Manual. Corporation for National Service and National Institute on Out-of-School Time. October 1997. This resource describes ways to integrate the Corporation for National Service and service-learning into out-of-school time programs and highlights effective practices.
www.etr.org/nsrc/pdfs/ssost/ssost.pdf
Youth and Communities Helping Each Other: Commuinty-Based Organizations Using Service-Learning as a Strategy in Out-of-School Time. Sandra Naughton, Corporation for National Service. 2000. This resource includes a literature review on service-learning and successful program profiles.
www.nationalservice.org/research/fellows_reports/2000/naughton.pdf
SUMMER PROGRAMS
Summer Learners. Donna Harrington-Lueker. American School Board Journal. March 2000. Discusses some key implementation issues in setting up a summer school program.
www.asbj.com/2000/03/0300coverstory.html
Beyond Fun and Games: Tips and Resources for Summer Programs. Produced by LEARNS. This resource targets reading tutors and provides teaching strategies.
www.nwrel.org/learns/resources/startup/summer/index.html
The Summer Effect: A Literature Review. April 1997. Provides research on the effects of summer break on learning for economically advantaged and disadvantaged youth.
www.jhu.edu/~ovs/TB/Teach/summer.html
Summer Learning and Home Environment. Doris R. Entwisle, Karl L. Alexander, and Linda Steffel Olson. Chapter two of A Notion at Risk: Preserving Public Education as an Engine for Social Mobility. This article looks at the affect of summer school on the achievement gap.
www.equaleducation.org/Notion/chpt2.pdf
SPECIFIC APPROACHES, AGENCIES, AND CURRICULA
MOST Initiative: Making the Most of Out-of-School Time. This demonstration project is working to increase access and availability to high-quality out-of-school time care.
www.wellesley.edu/WCW/CRW/SAC/most.html
The Seattle MOST Initiative.
www.ci.seattle.wa.us/most
SUN Schools: Schools Uniting Neighborhoods. A Multnomah County initiative focused on community building.
www.sunschools.org
Review of Extended-Day and After-School Programs and Their Effectiveness. By Olatokunbo S. Fashola at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR). October 1998. Describes many after-school agencies and curricula.
www.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/Reports/report24entire.htm
A distillation of CRESPAR's findings is available at:
eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/digests/dig140.html
MISCELLANEOUS
Afterschool.gov. A large one-stop clearinghouse to federal resources, publications, and funding sources that support out-of-school time programs.
www.afterschool.gov
Afterschool Online (formerly Mott-After-School) is a listserv of colleagues from across the country sharing ideas, approaches and strategies for improving and sustaining quality after-school programs.
Send a blank e-mail to afterschool-subscribe@topica.com
After School Programs That Promote Child and Adolescent Development: Summary of a Workshop. 2000. Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth; Board on Children, Youth and Families. Provides a broad overview of after-school programs as they relate to children's development and discusses future research that is needed.
www.nap.edu/books/0309071798/html/
STAFF FAVORITE WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
Harvard Family Research Project conducts evaluations, synthesizes research, and disseminates promising practices in the areas of family, school and community partnerships, early childhood care and education, and evaluation.
www.gse.harvard.edu/~hfrp/index.html
Quote of the Month
"I am more convinced than ever of the importance of reinventing community, both within our schools and within our neighborhoods. This sense of place, of belonging, is a crucial building block for the healthy development of children and adolescents. And it is especially crucial for young people who are growing up in disadvantaged circumstances-the young people who face the most serious obstacles on the pathway to adulthood."
