Through play-centered opportunities for discovery and exploration, a child can uncover his or her interests, talents, and authentic self, and the dividend may ultimately prove to be life-defining. If engaging in purposeful play is among the most effective means through which children identify the all-consuming activities that bring them joy, and…

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…

This article describes a new paradigm for accountability that envisions afterschool programs as learning organizations continually engaged in improving quality. Nearly 20 years into the era of results-based accountability, a new generation of afterschool accountability systems is emerging. Rather than aiming to test whether programs have produced…

Afterschool programs that provide strong science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning experiences are making an impact on participating youth not only become excited and engaged in these fields but develop STEM skills and proficiencies, come to value these fields and their contributions to society, and--significantly--begin to see…

After the school bell rings, young people are learning, exploring, making and questioning. Afterschool programs have long influenced students' personal development and supported their social and emotional growth. Today, the afterschool field has enthusiastically embraced STEM as an integral part of their educational offerings. This handout…

Out-of-school time (OST) is a growing field that includes afterschool, evening, weekend, summer, school-age care, childcare, positive youth development, and workforce development programs (NIOST, 2000). Research demonstrates that OST professional development is critical to program quality and student impact (Weiss, 2005/2006). In an effort to…

As Taiwan's full-scale e-learning initiatives moved to the seventh year in 2009, the current status and challenges of e-learning development there are yet to be fully understood. Further extending Zhang and Hung's (2006) investigation on e-learning in all universities and colleges in Taiwan, this study investigated the after-school programs (ASPs)…

Describes an extended school day program in the Dade County (Florida) schools that was tested on 4,000 Title I eligible elementary students. In all but one case, the pilot groups surpassed the achievement of children in regular Title I programs. (Author/IRT)

Noting that the past decade has seen a rapid increase in the number of out-of-school time and community school initiatives and that finding funding for these initiatives remains a challenge to their success, this strategy brief discusses the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) as an important long-term source of funding. The brief provides an…

Describes the Young Writers' Workshops -- community-based Saturday writing seminars held for the elementary students of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. (SJL)

The Dial-A-Teacher Assistance project (DATALINE) is a telephone resource center which provides assistance or information to parents and pupils about problems related to homework, as well as information about Parent Partnership activities and services available to parents and children in the School District of Philadelphia. The theory behind the…

This brief is the first in a series featuring promising practices in city-wide after-school initiatives, with a focus at the infrastructure level, focusing on the infrastructure representing the underlying elements or framework that hold a system or initiative together. The brief identifies practices to support the public relations function and…

As the need for providing youth with positive, constructive, and supervised after-school opportunities is increasingly recognized, advocates and policymakers face the challenge of funding quality, affordable, accessible youth development programs that meet the needs of working families and enrich learning and social development for youth.…

Describes a successful after-school tutoring program that involves teachers, students, and parents, and has resulted in higher scores on both minimum-competency tests and achievement tests. Includes guidelines for starting such a program. (IRT)

This report describes a pilot program set up to test the feasibility of a student out-of-school tutoring service for 4th and 5th graders as a means of providing remedial instruction for potential dropouts. For testing purposes, a small-scale 5-session program was set up, using as tutors 9th through 12th grade volunteer students, from a local…