ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Building an Afterschool Workforce: Regulations and beyond
Author: Cole, Patricia
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: After School Programs,Child Care,Block Grants,Elementary Secondary Education,Youth,Federal Legislation,Children,Low Income Groups

In the space of an afternoon, an afterschool worker may perform many roles--homework tutor, mentor, athletic director, games master, role model, reading coach, top chef, bridge to parents, and, above all, an adult who develops positive relationships that can change children's lives. Program staff is a critical ingredient of the quality of afterschool programs, which are increasingly seen as means to support youth development and school success. But what qualifications--education, training, and experience--should staff members possess? Building the workforce to help children and youth in afterschool programs reach their potential is a task that the field itself should undertake, together with the policymakers who regulate, fund, and oversee programs. With the reauthorizations of both the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Child Care and Development Block Grant long overdue, the role of afterschool in achieving national education goals by supporting the development of well-rounded children and youth must come into sharper focus. The National AfterSchool Association developed a baseline look at how states are approaching staff qualifications and training in two federal funding streams for afterschool programs: (1) Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), the umbrella term for all federal childcare funding, discretionary and mandatory, governed by the provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant; and (2) 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). This article describes the results of the study that looked at states' basic floors for qualifications and professional development for staff in center-based afterschool programs. The study also examined approaches to improving quality. The article concludes with some recommendations. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)
The Effect of Afterschool Program Participation on English Language Acquisition
Author: London, Rebecca
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: After School Programs,Language Skills,Second Language Learning,Middle School Students,Elementary School Students,Educational Practices,Public Schools,English (Second Language),Program Effectiveness,Correlation,Student Participation,Language Proficiency,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Listening Skills,Speech Skills

In the past quarter century, the nation's K-12 public schools have experienced a large influx of students who speak languages other than English. Research has shown that many factors affect how English learner (EL) students acquire English language skills, including their preparation before entering U.S. schools, their out-of-school environments, and schools' educational practices. High-quality afterschool programs offer many benefits, including academic achievement, but research has not focused specifically on the effects of afterschool programs on English language development. The literatures on both afterschool programming and English acquisition point to the potential importance of non-academic settings in helping EL students learn English. In this article, the authors use an innovative data source--the Youth Data Archive--to follow elementary and middle school students from a single school district over four academic years to discern any links between their afterschool program participation and English language development. The authors found that students attending the program had greater rates of gain in English development, but they did not necessarily achieve proficiency gains or redesignation as &quot;fluent English proficient&quot; sooner than non-participating students. The results point to the need for increased examination of the link between in-school and out-of-school activities in relation to English language acquisition. (Contains 2 figures and 4 tables.)
Self-Assessment of High-Quality Academic Enrichment Practices
Author: Holstead, Jenell
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Enrichment,Program Effectiveness,Evidence,Program Improvement,After School Programs,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Researchers,Academic Achievement,Academic Standards,Standardized Tests,Evaluation

Self-assessment is an often-overlooked alternative to external assessment. Program staff can use self-assessment processes to systematically review the quality of their afterschool programming and to facilitate discussions on ways to enhance it. Self-assessment of point-of-service activities, which can provide a wealth of valuable information regarding program quality, should be used regularly to enable ongoing program improvement. Despite the fact that researchers have reached some consensus regarding point-of-service elements that support student academic gains, most self-assessment tools for afterschool programs still do not consistently include these elements. This article reviews program elements shown to effect academic growth and examines the extent to which available self-assessment tools measure these practices. None of the available self-assessment tools measures the extent to which programs include all of the point-of-service elements that support academic enrichment. Therefore, standardized self-assessment tools for afterschool programs should be enhanced or developed to include evidence-based practices known to be effective in improving academic achievement. (Contains 1 table.)
Don't You Want to Do Better? Implementing a Goal-Setting Intervention in an Afterschool Program
Author: Hallenbeck, Amy
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Goal Orientation,Intervention,After School Programs,Behavior Change,Grade 1,Elementary School Students,Models,Change Strategies,Elementary School Teachers,Program Effectiveness,Rural Schools,Homework,Enrichment Activities,Student Development,Teacher Attitudes,At Risk Students,Teacher Role,Faculty Development

Goal setting is not an innate skill. Adults who are successful at reaching their goals have learned to set realistic goals and to plan to attain them. Afterschool programs, because they have latitude in their curricular offerings and program elements, can provide strong backdrops for goal-setting initiatives. While studies have shown that goal setting is a behavior elementary-age children can accomplish, they do not examine goal-setting initiatives in afterschool programs. This article describes a goal-setting intervention implemented in a 21st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool program serving students in grades 1-5 at two school sites. The authors structured the goal-setting intervention using the Transtheoretical Model, which depicts behavior change as a process that evolves through a series of stages. They believed that use of the Transtheoretical Model, and specifically its Stages of Change construct, could provide elementary afterschool students with a method of setting and achieving goals. With the assistance of afterschool teachers as the goal-setting facilitators, the authors wanted to discern: (1) Is there a difference in the pre-intervention and post-intervention scores of the Stages of Change among students participating in the afterschool intervention?; (2) How does an afterschool goal-setting intervention affect students' goal-setting behaviors?; and (3) How does an afterschool goal-setting intervention affect intervention facilitators? The results show that the intervention offered benefits for both students and teacher-facilitators. The authors used their data to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the goal-setting intervention in order to improve its implementation. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)
Growing Boys: Implementing a Boys' Empowerment Group in an Afterschool Program
Author: Hall, Georgia
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: After School Programs,Ethnography,Males,Masculinity,Gender Differences,Identification (Psychology),Minority Groups,Student Empowerment,Middle School Students,Group Activities,Health Behavior,Social Development,Communication Skills,Leadership Responsibility

The process of establishing a healthy male identity can be difficult for many boys. The limited definitions of masculinity available to boys and men are generally characterized by competition, repression of fear and emotion, and physical and emotional strength. Boys of color and those of lower economic status tend to encounter even fewer healthy alternatives for defining their maleness than do their white and better-off counterparts. Boys who need support in choosing positive and healthy pathways could benefit from an intervention that gives them space and time to share information, to work and play cooperatively, and to grow healthy identities. While inclusive grouping is an important part of building community in a youth development program, common-interest groups such as girls' or boys' empowerment groups can help members grow and support one another. In this article, the authors describe the results of a case study they conducted of one such group, an afterschool empowerment group for middle school boys. Using elements of ethnographic study, the authors examined participants' reactions to the work they did together in the empowerment group and explored the characteristics that made the group leaders effective in facilitating that work. The authors' goal was to discover how a boys' empowerment group could help participants avoid risky behaviors such as joining a gang or engaging in interpersonal violence, while instead making healthier choices that could lead to positive growth. Their findings on the benefits of participation in a boys' empowerment group suggest that these steps are valuable and worthwhile. Boys in the empowerment group they studied lived daily in a delicate balance between safety and harm across a host of domains--physical, emotional, social, academic. The authors saw some of them experience dramatic changes in their attitudes toward school and relationships. When a boys' empowerment group is done right--and has the right leadership--it can change lives.
English Learners and Out-of-School Time Programs: The Potential of OST Programs to Foster EL Success
Author: Maxwell-Jolly, Julie
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,After School Programs,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Educational Benefits,High Stakes Tests,High Schools,Evaluation,Individual Differences,Student Motivation,Learner Engagement,English Language Learners,Literacy,Educational Strategies

That the English learner (EL) student population is growing is not a problem, but that ELs are not generally thriving in U.S. classrooms is. ELs score lower on tests, get poorer grades, take fewer advanced or college prep classes at the secondary level, and graduate from high school at much lower rates than do native speakers of English. Moreover, the likelihood that EL students will receive any post-secondary education or find and maintain stable employment is lower than for other students. One reason for this lower level of achievement is &quot;time&quot;. ELs have to learn a new language, learn content through this new language, and learn about the culture of the school as well as the culture at large--all in the same amount of time English-fluent students have in which to learn only content. Out-of-school time (OST) programs have the potential to offer educational benefits to this growing EL population by devoting their valuable resource of &quot;time&quot; to research-based activities that can support ELs facing the dual challenge of learning both English and subject matter content. A number of research-supported strategies for improving EL achievement can potentially be applied in OST settings: (1) incorporating primary language use; (2) providing opportunities for practice and interaction in a relatively risk-free environment; (3) addressing ELs' individual differences including a wide range of backgrounds and English proficiency; (4) fostering student motivation and engagement; and (5) promoting connections with students' families and communities. In order to move from potential to positive outcomes for ELs, OST educators and administrators must plan how best to make use of the precious resource of extra time that OST programs provide. This article offers some recommendations.
Learning English and beyond: A Holistic Approach to Supporting English Learners in Afterschool
Author: Bhattacharya, Jhumpa
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Opportunities,Leadership,After School Programs,English (Second Language),Professional Development,Second Language Learning,Language Acquisition,Programming,Holistic Approach,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Change,Youth

Throughout the nation, afterschool programs are seeing increasing numbers of English learners (ELs) among their participants. Many afterschool program practitioners, recognizing the growth in the EL population in their programs, are hungry for professional development and research to understand how better to educate this population. However, reports indicate that, although practitioners recognize that this growing population has specific needs, they do not have the skills or training to work effectively with ELs. As a result, afterschool sites are not currently designing their programming to serve ELs effectively, and minimal resources and professional development opportunities are available to help them do so. When afterschool programs understand the various needs of different ELs, they can adopt a holistic approach to nurturing EL students in their many dimensions. Afterschool practitioners must build on the strengths and assets that ELs bring into the program, such as their rich cultures and languages, while also addressing their varying needs. More and more afterschool programs are implementing strategies to help ELs with English language development. While some of the strategies being offered are valuable, programs need to use the same intentionality to support ELs' social, emotional, and cultural needs. To guide them in doing so, California Tomorrow developed the following Quality English Learner Principles: (1) Know your English language learners; (2) Be cultural brokers for families and communities; (3) Build cross-cultural leadership skills; (4) Support language development; (5) Create a safe space and affirming environment; (6) Promote home culture and language for healthy identity development; and (7) Customize programming. This article discusses these principles which incorporate California Tomorrow's comprehensive vision of what EL education can look like in afterschool programs, based on its 25 years of experience in reforming EL K-12 education and on 10 years of research, technical assistance, and coaching experience in the afterschool field.
Exito: Keeping High-Risk Youth on Track to Graduation through Out-of-School Time Supports
Author: Hartmann, Tracey
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: At Risk Students,Dropouts,After School Programs,Program Implementation,Graduation,Dropout Programs,Dropout Prevention,Grade 9,Grade 10,Dropout Rate,Outcomes of Education,Partnerships in Education,Urban Schools,Regression (Statistics),Learner Engagement,Low Income,High School Students

&quot;Exito&quot; means &quot;success&quot; in Spanish, so it is a fitting name for a dropout prevention program. Set in a large neighborhood high school in a low-income, largely Latino section of Philadelphia, Exito supports ninth- and tenth-grade students who are at risk of dropping out of school by providing them with afterschool programming and case management services. The program was designed and is implemented by a large multiservice community agency, Congreso de Latinos Unidos (Congreso), working in partnership with the school. Funding comes from Philadelphia's Department of Human Services and from private foundations. When Exito was launched in the 2008-2009 school year, Congreso contracted a four-year longitudinal evaluation following the first cohort of program participants through high school graduation. The evaluation, now in its third year, has assessed student outcomes and studied program implementation. Results from the first two years suggest that Exito shows promise for reducing the dropout rate among those it serves. The program has attracted teens with &quot;early warning indicators&quot; for dropping out of school. In addition, program participation has been associated with positive student outcomes. Participants had fewer school absences than a comparison group for both of the first two years of the program; in year 2, they were also more likely to pass major subjects than a comparison group. This article describes the Exito program model, provides early evidence of its benefits, and shares promising practices as well as challenges identified by the evaluation. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)
You&lt;th Are Here: Promoting Youth Spaces through Community Mapping
Author: Walker, Kathrin C.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Youth Programs,Adolescents,Youth,Learner Engagement,Case Studies,Evaluation,Participation,Community Programs

Research demonstrates that involvement in high-quality youth programs benefits young people personally, socially, and academically. Yet many families--particularly low-income and minority families--are unsatisfied with the quality, affordability, and availability of options in their communities. Participation rates are especially low for youth who come from families and communities with lower incomes. In addition, growing evidence documents that rates of participation in youth development programs drop around age 12 or 13 and remain low. In many communities, opportunity gaps limit how many youth can benefit. The limited number of available opportunities is one barrier to participation. Lack of awareness of programs that do exist is another persistent barrier. The Youth Action Crew (YAC) initiative in Minneapolis was designed to address these troubling gaps by identifying available youth development opportunities, creating maps to raise awareness of these opportunities, and defining local gaps in youth services. This community-based youth engagement project provided youth and adults with resources to identify, promote, and develop youth-friendly programs and places. This article describes a case study that shows the potential of the YAC project as a model for such youth-led community mapping initiatives. (Contains 4 figures.)
A Place for the Arts: Lessons Learned from an Afterschool Art Experience with Reclaimed Materials
Author: Eckhoff, Angela
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Art Education,Visual Arts,Art Activities,Educational Experience,After School Programs,Elementary School Students,Art,Learner Engagement

Afterschool programs are becoming an increasingly important part of many elementary students' educational experience. Though individual afterschool programs vary, arts experiences are often a part of the curriculum. This article discusses a three-day art project in an afterschool program with no specific arts component which illustrates the potential--and the challenges--of engaging children in creating art using recycled materials. The authors conducted action research in a school-based afterschool setting to explore how a meaningful arts experience could be integrated into a program that did not include an arts-focused curriculum. Unencumbered by restrictions surrounding formal classrooms, afterschool programs can offer exploratory art activities that support young learners' artistic creation, arts viewing, and aesthetic experiences. Though challenges emerge in designing and implementing arts experiences in programs that do not already include arts components, children can benefit from inclusion of visual arts experience in general-focus afterschool programs. (Contains 5 figures.)
Power Sharing: Building Community School Relationships from Friendship to Marriage
Author: Hill, Carol R.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Youth,Educational Change,After School Programs,Partnerships in Education,School Community Relationship,Cooperation

When the author accepted a job with the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA as the director of the Beacon Center on the campus of Burton High School in San Francisco, she found out that New Day for Learning (NDL), an initiative that helps schools implement the community schools model, had chosen Burton as a pilot site. The author had heard that community schools used community partners to help deliver programs and services to increase educational success for young people. In her experience, Beacon-school partnerships worked similarly: the school focused on academic success during instructional time and partnered with the Beacon through a community-based organization (CBO) to deliver out-of-school time programs for both youth and adults after dismissal. Additionally, Beacons are charged specifically with turning schools into community hubs that not only bring people to the school site but also participate actively in community life. As the Burton-Beacon story illustrates, the community schools model works best if the parties involved do more than collaborate. The most impressive and replicable outcomes will be achieved if the participants "power share".
Researcher's Notebook: Converging Issues in an Out-of-school Time Program for African Refugee Children
Author: Porche, Michelle
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Refugees,Migrant Children,After School Programs,African Studies,Needs Assessment,Intervention,Family Programs,Integrated Services,Out of School Youth,Cultural Differences,Acculturation

The Wellesley Centers for Women recently began a collaboration with one of the major stakeholders in that needs assessment, the Women for Women Coalition, to develop and pilot an ongoing family intervention in New Hampshire. The resulting collaborative project, Africans United for Stronger Families, includes a support group for parents and an out-of-school time (OST) program for their children. An integral part of the family support intervention is a culturally responsive OST program for adolescents. Developed and administered by the Women for Women Coalition, this program focuses on academic success and offers extensive tutoring and homework help. In this article, the author presents field notes from the needs assessment and the Africans United intervention study of a family support program for African immigrants that reveal some of the challenges faced by parents and their adolescent children. The field notes begin to capture the profound interconnection of culture, race, trauma, language, age, family, and social norms in an OST and family support program.
Systemwide Implementation of Project-Based Learning: The Philadelphia Approach
Author: Schwalm, Jason
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Active Learning,Student Projects,Program Implementation,Program Descriptions,Systems Approach,Performance Factors,After School Programs,After School Education,Program Effectiveness,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Educational Improvement,Program Improvement

Citywide implementation of project-based learning highlights the benefits--and the challenges--of promoting exemplary practices across an entire out-of-school time (OST) network. In summer 2009, the City of Philadelphia and its intermediary, the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), introduced project-based learning to a network of more than 180 OST programs. Use of project-based learning is now required of all city-funded OST programs that are managed by PHMC. This article describes Philadelphia's systemwide approach to project-based learning. First, the authors review the scholarly literature to define the strategy and discuss its outcomes. Next, they describe Philadelphia's systems approach to project-based learning in OST and outline its successes. Finally, they discuss the challenges presented by a systems approach to implementation, offering recommendations to other cities and their intermediaries that wish to implement project-based learning on a systemwide basis. (Contains 1 table.)