Some inner-city youth have "ducked the bullet" and built hope through participation in neighborhood-based organizations that offer safety, support, guidance, companionship, and opportunities for growth and engagement. All 60 urban sanctuaries examined in 3 metropolitan areas shared common features: dynamic adult leadership, family-like…

Points out that there are fewer adults in families and that schools are unused before and after classes. Suggests that older adults can provide some support for school-aged children who would normally go home to an empty house. (JOW)

Discusses intrinsic motivation and John Dewey's perspectives on aesthetic experiences in relation to "After 3" technology programs, based on experiences with KLICK (Kids Learning in Computer Klubhouses). Highlights include control and theories of motivation and learning; and Dewey's perspectives on the opposite of control in…

Describes several innovative after-school enrichment programs, including their specific focus and activities. Notes concerns about "burn-out" for some children after a full day of school work. Includes tips for getting such a program started. (HTH)

Key ingredients for achieving academic success include being prepared, taking responsibility for one's learning, making an effort, and completing homework every day. At Shaker Heights (Ohio) Middle School, after-school programs (academic sessions, a homework center, a homework hotline, and a university tutorial program) help students complete…

With structure and support, volunteers can be a great resource for after-school programs. Program managers should train volunteers with specific information, provide appropriate teaching strategies and materials, put important information in writing, match volunteers appropriately, facilitate icebreaker activities, respect volunteers' time, stress…

Every youth organization must create an agency culture that promotes positive values and relationships. Using social work theory, the article proposes a Model for Common Humanity, offering nine principles that can guide the fostering of an agency milieu: needs dialogue; purpose, values, and expectations; adaptation; mutuality; building consensus;…

Describes the development of an after-school club for kindergarten-age children enrolled in a Montessori preschool program in Nashville, Tennessee. Activity units included performing a play of Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are," studying country music and writing songs, and holding a dinner for the children's parents. (KB)

This article describes a teacher study group focusing on After School Writing Circles for elementary students as a site of Thirdspace professional development. Borrowing the concept of Thirdspace from postmodern geographer Edward Soja, the authors argue that professional development works best when teachers engage in the dual work of imagining and…

This longitudinal study evaluated after-school program (ASP) participation and the development of academic performance (school grades, reading achievement) and teacher-rated motivational attributes (expectancy of success, effectance motivation) over a school year. Participants were 599 boys and girls (6.3 to 10.6 years) from an urban,…

In this article, the author discusses how after-school programs are very popular with the public. A series of annual voter surveys conducted by the Afterschool Alliance shows public support consistently running in the 90 percent range, with 76 percent of voters even going so far as to say they would be willing to pay additional taxes if more…

Using this document, school leaders can engage after-school stakeholders in an informed and thoughtful process about developing, implementing and evaluating after-school programs at their schools. As the interest in after-school programs grows, so does the need for reliable information about what works. Although the field is relatively new, a…

For the past three years, five Topeka-area schools have participated in the Topeka Academy for Leading Learners program, or TALL. A 21st Century Community Learning Center Project funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Mott Foundation, TALL serves approximately 300 students through an after-school program in four elementary schools and…

In the field of school-age care, there are three organizations that have been instrumental in the development of the profession: (1) School-Age "NOTES"; (2) National Institute on Out-of-School Time; and (3) National AfterSchool Association. In recent years many new players have been effective in promoting the field. In this article, the author…

This article deals with one interesting area of Thirteen/WNET's website (www.thirteen.org), which is Students' Take, designed especially for children in after school programs. Students' Take offers students in after school programs the opportunity to publish original Web pieces covering a range of topics of special interest to them. Its…