This article summarizes a unique approach to reducing the achievement gap that strategically blended differentiated curriculum with schoolwide enrichment teaching and learning. The theories of enrichment and instructional differentiation were translated into practice in an elementary school that had previously embraced a remedial paradigm. This…

This article looks at the competing language ideologies that preschool children negotiate in "Mi Clase Magica" (MCM), a Spanish-English bilingual/bicultural after-school program in San Diego. It examines children's language choice in interactions with peers and adults taking place at computer and "tareas" (homework) activities.…

This article describes the Swedish initiative of municipal technology centres from a gender point of view. These centres provide after-school technology education for children aged 6-16. By means of an ethnographic study, the effects of the use of single-sex groups in increasing the interest of girls and boys in technical activities have been…

The key importance of after-school and out-of-school time in a democratic society is the experience of activities and programs providing a common ground that extends the play of childhood into leadership opportunities for youthful learning and exploration of the world. The authors hypothesize that by focusing civic attention on the developmental…

The supplemental educational services (SES) provision of No Child Left Behind introduces a federally mandated after-school tutoring intervention in schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress. This article examines market dynamics in relationship to the law's goals of expanding access to and improving the quality of after-school…

This Research Report summarizes various strategies that have been found to help struggling students succeed without having to repeat a grade. They include aligning instruction with standards, providing "early warning" assessments, multiage grouping, accelerated learning, increased professional development for teachers working with low-performing…

Teachers are coming to understand the value of using a student's interests, habits, and questions as a starting point for instruction. In this article, Skinner introduces "Teenage Addiction," a voluntary seventh-grade after-school writing/popular culture club that helped students view popular culture through a critical lens and then write about…

"A Progress Report to the Legislature: After-School and Out-of-School Time Quality Grant" is submitted pursuant to Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007, line item 7061-9611. The Department is working to coordinate this state After School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) grant program with other such programs in state organizations, such as the…

The California Report Card provides a clear, complete and concise picture of the state of the state's children along with recommendations for how we can better support our children through new and improved public policies. It assigns letter grades to such key indicators as health insurance, oral health, asthma, mental health, infant health,…

Participation in after school programs is associated with increases in academic achievement and improved behavior in students at risk. Process evaluation data from participants and key stakeholders was used to gauge implementation, satisfaction, and program attendance of an after school arts program. Lack of scheduling flexibility resulted in low…

The Employers' Child Care Alliance, a group of major employers in Lee County, Alabama, developed the "Bridges" program, an innovative program for children ages 10-14 during out-of-school time. The program focuses on the growth of the whole child, specifically in areas not traditionally focused on in school, such as creative development, cultural…

Student activities, or what used to be termed extracurricular activities, is now being called by another term--third curriculum. Third curriculum is the most recent term used to describe a wide variety of school-sponsored teams, clubs, and organizations. Several aspects of the third curriculum are detailed: (1) need for student activities; (2)…

Provided to teachers are guidelines for structuring a school-age child care program and a list of appropriate activities for after-school care. Discussion covers attendance taking, transition times, group games, art activities, and staggered dismissal. Supplemental activities are suggested, and outlines of a typical school day with child care, and…

THE BETTER TOMORROW FOR THE URBAN CHILD PROGRAM (BTU) ATTEMPTS TO HELP INNER-CITY CHILDREN BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE CITIZENS, BOTH EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY, THROUGH THE USE OF ADDITIONAL HUMAN AND MATERIAL RESOURCES. THE GOALS ARE TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF SCHOOL READINESS, TO DEVELOP A GREATER MOTIVATION FOR LEARNING, AND TO IMPROVE STUDENT SELF-IMAGE…

To incorporate many of the suggestions of the authors of community college student activities studies, it is necessary to investigate and determine the characteristics, needs, and desires of community college students. A 15 per cent sample of the student population at Johnson County Community College (Kansas) was surveyed by an instrument…