Harnessing the Power of Afterschool for Young Adolescents

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Harnessing the Power of Afterschool for Young
Adolescents

• Adapted from a presentation by Dr. Terry Peterson
  Chairman of the Afterschool Alliance, Director of
  the Afterschool And Community Learning Network,
  Senior Fellow for Policies and Partnerships
  University of South Carolina and College of
  Charleston.

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We are shortchanging our future by ignoring the
potential of more time and more people to help
our children and communities get ahead. We must
maximize every opportunity to compete
successfully in the international marketplace of
ideas and commerce
- Richard Riley United States Secretary of
Education 1993-2001
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New Demands for Better Education

• Students and their families need more skills for
  success in meeting education standards, in life
  and in jobs in the international market place of
  ideas and commerce
• Better reading, math, and science skills
• 21st Century Skills e.g., learn to work in teams,
  creatively solve problems (the arts), and learn
  English plus 1-2 other languages and about other
  cultures
• Connect to pathways to finish secondary school
  and acquire some technical training or college
  education

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While demands on students are raising, many have
gaps that limit student potential.
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• The achievement gap has become the primary
  concern for educators, but three other gaps
  contribute to the achievement gap
• the time gap
• the experience and opportunity gap
• the people and connection gap
• Good and effective afterschool programs need to
  help address these three gaps while working to
  close the achievement gap!!! 

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The Time Gap
14 million K-12 students are on their own after
school each day--4 million of these are students
in the middle grades Hours between 3-7 pm have
the highest juvenile crime rate during the school
week
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Teachable Hours

• Students spend 1020 hours in classes per year
  (green) compared to 4380 hours awake and not
  eating (blue).

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Summers and Lost Learning Time
The typical low-income child loses 2-3 months of
achievement each summer. This equals 2-3 years
of lost learning over 12 years of school.
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The Experience or Opportunity Gap
Children who lack broad, meaningful learning
experiences are more prone to school failure,
poor social functioning, and dropping out of
school.
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Many parents sense the the need for broader
experiences and opportunities for their children
through quality afterschool programs

• Be mentored and tutored
• Positive arts, music and technology options
• Learn about other skills and languages
• Learn and serve their community
• Linking school day academics with real life
  experiences

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The People Gap
Adult mentors provide concrete role models for
living meaningful lives Time spent tutors and
mentors gives young people a sense that someone
takes an interest in them and increases their
motivation for achievement. Time spent with
caring teachers in a non-classroom environment is
very important!!!
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What do Good Programs Look Like?
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Program characteristics of academic focused
middle grade programs.

• Majority of programs offer 3 or more activities a
  day
• Combine academic content with homework help,
  tutoring and some form of enrichment and/or
  social development
• Literacy and math generally 2-4 times a week, 30
  minutes to 2 hours in length

National Partnership for Quality Afterschool
Learning
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Other characteristics

• Clear goals and program and content aligned to
  meet goals but often with real world connections
  and often hands-on, project based.
• Established relationship with day school and
  linkage to standards but is different from the
  regular day
• Maintain some form of evaluative structures
• Staff keep students motivated, engaged and
  maintain high expectations

National Partnership for Quality Afterschool
Learning
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Well-Designed Enrichment Afterschool Programs

• dont necessarily focus only on academics, yet
  contribute to better academic achievement.
• They offer
• 1. Opportunities for skill building and
  mastery
• 2. Intentional relationship building with host
  schools, participants and families
• 3. A strong, experienced site coordinator
• 4. Support from a sponsoring organization

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Older students are not going to learn what they
failed to learn by repeating the same things over
and over. They need some new context, new
medium, or a practical problem to solve for
motivation
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Example
Hand Middle School TIME Magazines USA middle
school of the year. School remained open from 6am
to 10pm providing additional classes for students
and adults Enlisted university, police, civic
groups, parents, and businesses. Used arts and
culture heavily both to engage students and
families during the school day, and
afterschool Students refurbished a library in a
low-income neighborhood center
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• In the past several years there is a growing body
  of evidence that well designed afterschool
  programs delivered by caring and energetic
  afterschool personnel helps schools and students
  be more successful.

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Findings indicate for middle school afterschool
programs

• Homework more likely to be completed to teacher
  satisfaction
• Increased parent participation in school
  functions
• Fewer absences and tardiness

Working paper of William T Grant Foundation
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Other Findings Indicate

• Middle school students attending formal
  afterschool programs spend more time engaged in
  academic activities and with peers and adults.
• This is correlated with improved academic and
  conduct grades,
• peer relationships, and
• emotional development.

Posner, J., Vandell, D. (1994). Low-income
childrens after-school care are there
beneficial effects of after-school programs?
Child Development 65, 440-456
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• 6th graders who do not attend regularly, receive
  poor behavior marks or fail math or English have
  no more than
• A 10 chance of graduating on time
• A 20 chance of graduating one year late

A study in Philadelphia by Johns Hopkins
University, 2005
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• We know that afterschool programs can help meet
  the unique needs of middle school students and
  make a positive difference in their development.

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And thats why YOU are so important!
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I slept and dreamtthat life was a joy. I awoke
and foundthat life was duty. I acted and
beholdduty was joy. - Tagore, Indian poet
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But you cant do it alone. Win-Win partnerships
are the keys for you to be successful
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Different sectors of the community that can help
our youth learn and stay safe
Employers University students Faith-based
organizations Cultural institutions Senior
citizens
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Employers
Encourage and make it easier for employees to be
involved as tutors and mentors, and bring
students to the businesses for job
shadowing The relationship between learning and
future employment and future education is
emphasized.
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Example
One chamber of commerce in a city encouraged all
their employer members to invite their employees
to volunteer one hour a week in a local school on
their own time, then the employer would pay for
one additional hour to be a volunteer every two
weeks.
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Faith-based organizations
Can reach out to and help parents, teachers, and
principals work together. A powerful message
about the importance of community collaboration
in education is sent.
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Cultural institutions
Bring the excitement of art and music to the
in-school and after school experiences. Art and
music deliver a powerful message about the
importance of creativity in learning, problem
solving and communication.
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Senior citizens
Can be used to teach some of their crafts and
oral historyas well as become loving tutors and
mentors. Powerful connections between
generations can be made.
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Example
In a rural area in the Appalachian region of the
United States, a group of senior citizens are
working with a group of middle school children to
write and perform traditional mountain music on
instruments they build together.
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• Another way that quality afterschool programs
  develop win win partnerships with the community
  is to engage students in service learning
  projects with younger students and/or community
  projects.

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Afterschool and Service-Learning Natural
Partners.
Both share a similar vision of empowering
students to be active learners and contributors
in their communities Bringing the school and
community together to address both education and
community needs is at the heart of both
initiatives.
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Learn and Serve America Program Byland County
Park Program Students participate on a weekly
basis, in the afternoons or during the summer, to
develop and maintain gardens at two local
parks Program works a grade at a time, one day
per week.
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A final critical partnership to focus on
Family-School Partnerships
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Because afterschool programs are more flexible
and more connected to the community they provide
an opportunity to engage families from diverse
backgrounds.
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Build trusting collaborative relationships among
teachers, families, and community members.
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Recognize, and address families needs, as well
as class and cultural differences
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Recognize that all parents- regardless of income
and education are involved in their childrens
learning and want their children to do well.
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Some middle school afterschool programs have
experienced success by

• The afterschool cooking class (e.g., French or
  Italian) manages and serves a family dinner (with
  the PTA)
• Hosting Family Art Night where students and
  parents develop a project together
• Develop a visual art object together that evening
  or work on a family photo album.

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Rethinking the School Day

• Comprehensive afterschool programs can help
  schools keep convenience store hours so that

• Children and youth will have extended learning
  opportunities.
• Youth are at a less risk for violence.
• Organized activities help children resist unsafe
  behaviors and enhance learning.
• Children become more cooperative, handle
  conflicts better, develop an interest in
  recreational reading, and earn better grades in
  school.

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We start the same but where we land, Its
sometimes fertile soil and sometimes sand.
-Kathy Mattea