Background: Physical literacy-focused afterschool activity programs (ASAPs) can be an effective strategy to improve children's health-related parameters. We sought to compare physical activity, body composition, aerobic capacity, and fundamental movement skills between physical literacy-focused ASAP and a standard recreational ASAP. Method: A…

In the educational research community, there is a general agreement about the importance of educators receiving professional development as one of the ways to improve student learning. Professional development for educators not only improve their knowledge and classroom practice, but maximizes students' potential for academic success. With the…

A foundational piece to achieving the American dream is a quality education. All children do not receive the same quality of education. Factors such as race/ethnicity, SES, teacher qualifications and expectations and others play a major role in student achievement. Children who participate in afterschool programs show increases in test scores,…

This study offers a look inside one school community. The school implemented Let Grow Play Club and a recently expanded 40-minute recess period. Data are from observations of children's play periods, child interviews, and teacher interviews. We argue that play has significant cognitive, emotional, and social benefits for elementary school…

The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits, challenges, and limitations of a service-learning project designed to promote responsiveness among PK-12 preservice teachers (N=41). The service-learning included working with children (5- to 12-year-olds) at before- and after-school programs, interviewing site staff, and developing lesson…

Schools in Vermont have followed a trend of partnering with out of school time afterschool and summer programs to address academic achievement gaps for students that are socioeconomically disadvantaged. The theoretical framework that informed this study was based in constructivist theory and experiential learning. The problem addressed in this…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a 16-week program of community-engaged teacher preparation on preservice teachers' perceived efficacy in enacting culturally responsive teaching and their beliefs in the outcomes associated with such practice. Participants responded to the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale…

This article reports on the effect of a community-based social support programme offered through a government-linked centre that works on the resilience of children of families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Purposive sampling was used to select four parents (mothers) and nine school-going children (N = 13) who all benefit from and attend a…

Background: American Indian communities in the United States experience considerable health inequities, including increased exposure to environmental contaminants. Consequently, community members of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation identified the lack of water-related environmental knowledge among children as an area of concern. Aim: The purpose of…

Child inactivity, overweightness, and obesity are recognized problems in the United States. Despite characterization as an "epidemic," children continue to fall short in meeting physical activity recommendations necessary to maintain proper health. Relevant literature indicates that after-school programs (ASPs) are viable options for…

Research suggests that, to narrow the gender gap in engineering, we should focus on helping young girls identify with engineering both because gendered attitudes emerge around kindergarten and because identity is more predictive than performance on persistence in the field. This qualitative study sought to understand the impact of collaborative…

This study explored outcomes related to students' participation in a Houston Symphony (HS) partnership at a targeted HISD elementary school. Students received weekly in-school core enrichment instruction and after-school violin instruction by Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musicians throughout the 2018-2019 academic year. The study found that…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a 16-week program of community-engaged teacher preparation on preservice teachers' perceived efficacy in enacting culturally responsive teaching as well as their beliefs in the outcomes associated with such practice. Results of the examination revealed involvement in the community-engaged…

This qualitative study reviewed the preparedness of pre-service teachers to meet the needs of struggling readers in an urban Florida school. The research was guided by the overarching question: What is the impact of targeted diversity training on rural university pre-service teachers when creating performance-based tasks (PBTs) for urban-core…

Given the potential of afterschool programs to support youth in urban, low-income communities, we examined the role of afterschool classroom ecology in the academic outcomes of Latino and African American youth with and without social-behavioral risk. Using multireporter methods and multilevel analysis, we find that positive classroom ecology…