Today, students' academic achievement is slowly seeing a return to pre-pandemic trends. Researchers do not estimate a full recovery in the near future, and studies show students continue to struggle with feelings of stress, isolation, anxiety, and depression. As the nation seeks solutions to help young people amidst these struggles, voters and…

Background: The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free and nutritious meals to children under age 18 during out-of-school times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maryland sponsors served over 9.5 million meals to children through an expanded version of the SFSP. This study aimed to explore and compare the factors that enabled 2 SFSP…

In rural Appalachian communities of southeast Ohio, where generational poverty is high, communities and schools worked together to both create meaningful learning experiences and ensure that basic needs were met before students started the school year. Families of students who attended Summer Advantage--a 21-day summer school program for…

This article presents how over two summers the authors worked with students from Syria, Pakistan, Tanzania, Mexico, Honduras, China, and Vietnam to create their own chalkboard project. They wrote "I am" poems and "I remember" memories. They engaged in the arts, creating their personal comic book heroes and leaving inspired…

Achieving equity in education--that is, ensuring every student has the resources and tools they need to succeed--has become a key issue for the nation's schools. Equity does not apply just to classroom learning, however; it matters in afterschool, summer, and other out-of-school-time (OST) programs, too. Yet while research on equity in the OST…

Most people meet insects with fear and disgust, even though few insects pose health risks; in fact, many are beneficial and their absence would adversely affect human life. Such misunderstandings lead to insect conservation being important but unpopular. We addressed these concerns as part of a broader effort to establish an ongoing outreach…

Pre-adolescent and adolescent engagement in regular physical activity (PA), more specifically moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), is associated with improved educational performance. Similarly, children's engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity has shown to improve cardiovascular fitness levels, which can provide long-term…

In this summer program, preservice teachers are recruited to work with children from the community and are mentored closely by two faculty members who are literacy education professors. This allows the candidates to learn from faculty mentors and their peers, a proven model for effective field experiences. Despite the research being done on remote…

Out-of-school programs can offer personalized and meaningful learning experiences that deepen students' knowledge and cater to their passions and interests, but it has been a painful reality that many such programs have been available only to students and families with privilege and resources. Karen Hammerness, Anna MacPherson, Preeti Gupta,…

This paper reports on the findings from the STEM Educators Academy, an ExpandED Schools initiative where classroom teachers and after-school educators engage in joint professional development at premiere science institutions, then work together back at their schools to teach maker-design projects that spark student interest and cultivate curiosity…

The poster is a promising mechanism for inclusive scholarship. Inclusive scholarship provides direct opportunities for inclusion and representation. Community partner and youth participants in an urban gardening program were engaged in program-related scholarship via involvement in creation of a poster and its presentation at a community…

This paper is a case study of an English Learner (EL) summer enrichment program that supported English language fluency and comprehension of middle and high school students, many of whom were refugees, immigrants, or newcomers from U.S. territories. In this case, we share how a program can successfully provide an equitable education for newcomer…

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…

This Information Capsule provides an overview of the Summer Youth Internship Program (SYIP) for Miami-Dade County Public School students sponsored by Miami-Dade County, The Children's Trust, Career Source of South Florida, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, JPMorgan Chase, and the Foundation for New Education Initiatives. The SYIP is a five-week paid…

Locally or individually, STEM programs provide additional opportunities to engage K-12 students, including those from marginalized groups, with the support of STEM outreach organizations through the co-construction and implementation of STEM activities during school, out of school, at home, and in the community. Research suggests that…