With many cities showing an interest in afterschool system building and research providing a growing body of useful information, this Wallace Perspective offers a digest of the latest thinking on how to build and sustain an afterschool system, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this promising work. The report (a follow-up to a…

As numerous studies from 1906 on have confirmed, children lose ground in learning if they lack opportunities for building skills over the summer. Nonetheless, summer learning loss comes up but rarely in the national discussion of education reform. By the end of summer, students perform on average one month behind where they left off in the spring.…

Launched in 2008, the Strategic Data Project, housed at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, seeks to bridge the divide between educational research and practice in order to transform the use of data in education to improve student achievement. Through the project, the authors build robust research partnerships with…

Making Connections was the Annie E. Casey Foundation's signature place-based, community-change initiative of the 2000s. It sought to build on previous work and launch an effort focused firmly on the framework of family strengthening. The Foundation started Making Connections in 22 places, focusing eventually on first 10, then seven sites. It…

Based on a study by the Department of Community Service Education, Cornell University, to evaluate human service planning (HSP) nationwide, this paper discusses the premises that HSP may be defined as community learning and that the community (according to the Robert Boyd and Jerold Apps model for adult education) is both a beneficiary of and…

This document discusses the development and implementation of a multiservice center that could offer a variety of human social services in a single location. The paper focuses on seven components of the center's operation: governance, organizational structure, core services, joint funding, joint planning, joint programming, and evaluation. The…

This supplement updating a 1977 publication explains changes and additions in the priorities and administration of library programs, services, and activities funded under the Library Services and Construction Act in Massachusetts. The functions and responsibilities of three state agencies--Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners,…

This study was conducted to accomplish four objectives: (1) determine the current status of vocational education services available to youth under the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS); (2) assess the characteristics of DYS youth and their need for additional vocational programs; (3) determine employer and labor union…

Describes a program to recruit and train foster parents in a Hispanic community. Two child welfare agencies collaborate in running the program and use a bilingual staff. (CM)

The guide is designed to help states and localities create or strengthen their own youth councils. It is a synthesis of theory and practice that provides a general framework for thinking about youth councils, explaining the principles for youth action and the importance of youth engagement. It also incorporates advice and lessons from people in…

"After School: Connecting Children at Risk With Responsible Adults to Help Reduce Youth Substance Abuse and Other Health-Compromising Behaviors (After School)" helped develop intermediary organizations in Boston, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area in order to create citywide systems of after-school programs. The…

A study regarding the implementation of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) in four eastern Massachusetts prime sponsor areas (Cambridge, Lowell, New Bedford, and the Balance of State) was done to (1) examine the impact of the decisions made during the implementation of CETA on manpower services and institutions, program…

Developed as part of a study which attempted to integrate students with severe disabilities into regular recreational and leisure activities, this report focuses on integrating summer camps in the Greater Waltham (Massachusetts) area. It documents how a segregated camp for children and teens with disabilities can be closed down and the campers…

The numerous layoffs of low-income workers that occurred when the nation's economy slowed in 2001 have created numerous challenges for local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. By increasing collaboration between community economic development and workforce development efforts to serve low-income residents, states and…

These four supplements, which update a 1977 publication and a 1978 supplement, explain changes and additions in the priorities and administration of library programs, services, and activities funded under the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) in Massachusetts. Each of the four reports contains an introduction which reviews its purpose…