This handbook identifies practices that strengthen after-school programs and increase the positive differences they make on the lives of young people. The revised edition emphasizes that while schools should take a leadership role, they need not tackle the problem alone, and provides ideas for principals on how to incorporate the cooperation of parents, social service agencies, public facilities, and government. In addition, it provides information on a variety of resources for financial, management, and programming support. This booklet offers a brief overview of the research on after-school programs. The booklet also discusses benefits of after-school programs to students, schools, and communities, implementation ideas, potential pitfalls new programs will want to avoid, and future trends in this program area.
Appendices offer helpful websites and selected resources for planning after-school programs.
This booklet presents schools with ideas about how they can use their after-school program in new and effective ways to promote student achievement and meet the needs of their students and community. Each of the activities illustrated in the booklet includes suggestions for additional resources that are available through the U. S. Department of Education, including contact names and phone numbers. This manual provides a detailed outline of the development of New York City's community schools. The manual describes the steps that were taken to meet project goals, some of the obstacles that were encountered and how they were overcome, and the overall philosophy behind the community school. The manual is designed to serve as an illustration of what is possible, not a rigid plan, as each community is different and each collaboration involves a community's own unique set of partners.