This research brief draws on seminal research and evaluation studies to address two primary questions: (a) Does participation in after school programs make a difference, and, if so (b) what conditions appear to be necessary to achieve positive results? The brief concludes with a set of questions to spur conversation about the evolving role of after school in efforts to expand time and opportunities for children and youth in the 21st century.

Published: February, 2008

In order to learn how families fill the gap between when school ends and when parent(s) come home from work and how children spend the hours after school, the Afterschool Alliance and J.C. Penney Co., Inc. conducted a national household survey on afterschool. The findings were first released in May 2004. The America After 3 PM survey provides the most comprehensive and accurate picture to date of what our nation’s youth are doing each day after school.

Published: May 2004

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Since 2003, The Wallace Foundation has supported a range of initiatives in five cities to develop and test new, coordinated approaches to making high-quality out-of-school time learning opportunities available to more children. While much remains to be learned, we believe a coordinated approach holds considerable promise for building and sustaining improvements in OST opportunities on a wide scale. In this paper, we describe the basis for our working hypothesis for expanding the quality and reach of out-of-school time learning opportunities. And we identify six “action elements” that can help other cities get started with a coordinated approach to OST improvement.

Published: February 2008

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In this article, we examine the long-term educational consequences of summer learning differences by family socioeconomic level. We find that cumulative achievement gains over the first nine years of children’s schooling mainly reflect school-year learning, whereas the high socioeconomic status (SES) –low SES achievement gap at 9th grade mainly traces to differential summer learning over the elementary years. These early out-of-school summer learning differences, in turn, substantially account for achievement-related differences by family SES in high school track placements (college preparatory or not), high school noncompletion, and four-year college attendance. We discuss implications for understanding the bases of educational stratification, as well as educational policy and
practice.

Published: April, 2007

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Research on language acquisition confirms what all language-learners know from experience: Practice is key. Extensive and varied opportunities to use the language are necessary for developing The skills of speaking and listening for different purposes, with different audiences, in different settings. Oral skills, in turn, underlie literacy.

Published: February 27, 2008

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A meta-analysis of after-school programs (ASPs) that seek to enhance the personal and social development of children and adolescents indicated that youth improved in three general areas: feelings and attitudes, indicators of behavioral adjustment, and school performance. More specifically, significant increases occurred in youths’ self-perceptions and bonding to school, their positive social behaviors, and in their school grades and level of academic achievement. At the same time, significant reductions occurred in problem behaviors and drug use. Substantial differences emerged between programs that used evidence-based approaches for skill training and those that did not.
These findings have two important implications for future research, practice and policy. The first is that ASPs should contain components to foster the personal and social skills of youth, because participants can benefit in multiple ways if these components are offered. The second is that such components are effective only if they use evidence-based approaches. When it comes to enhancing personal and social skills, successful programs are SAFE— sequenced, active, focused and explicit.

Published: 2007

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For over a decade, researchers have provided encouraging evidence about ASPs and their impact on the academic and social well-being of Black children and adolescents. To gain a better understanding of what Black parents want and think about ASPs, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation decided to fund a project that directly asked parents their opinions. With this in mind, the goals of this study were: to discover which factors influence Black low-income and working-class parents’ decisions to enroll their children in ASPs; to understand how these parents assess a program’s quality and availability; and to develop a working definition of a positive ASP experience based on the identification of key contributing factors.

Published: October 2007

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Colorado State University Cooperative Extension recently surveyed Colorado youth and the results are firm evidence that 4-H is important to positive youth development across the state. Our research shows that 4-H members are getting what young people need to succeed in life: confidence, compassion, and connections with caring adults, and skills and opportunities to make contributions to their communities.

Published: September 2005

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Developing Adolescents is a response to requests by numerous professionals in various fields for help in understanding and working with adolescents. In particular, the organizations involved in the Partnership
in Program Planning for Adolescent Health (PIPPAH), who work together to promote adolescent health activities nationally, expressed interest in having a document to help professionals—physicians, attorneys, nurses, school-based health providers, social workers, dentists, and dieticians, to name a few—understand crucial aspects of normal adolescent development and relate more effectively to the adolescents with whom they work.

Published: 2002

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Harvard Family Research Project’s series of Out-of-School Time evaluation Snapshots distills the wealth of information compiled in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database1 into a single report. Each Snapshot examines a specific aspect of out-of-school time (OST) evaluation. This Snapshot provides an overview of how researchers are evaluating OST programs’ engagement with families.

Published: April, 2004

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Amidst a national push to establish standards for quality after-school programs, the field is working harder than ever to articulate the ingredients of high-quality activities. This report aims to build on existing knowledge about what constitutes engaging after-school programs in which youth of all ages learn and grow. The study was designed to detail key activity characteristics linked to youth engagement and learning and to provide instructors with a road map for how to create engaging learning environments in after-school programs. Specifically, we examined three related questions:

• What conditions lead youth to want to attend the activity?
• What aspects of an after-school activity, such as the staff’s behaviors and the activity’s structure, lead youth to be highly engaged?
• What conditions lead youngsters to feel they have learned in an activity?

Published: April, 2007

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This guide is written for directors, members of leadership teams and partners in afterschool programs. Based on extensive research and field experience, it is designed to help you systematically strengthen the nutrition, physical activity and food security of students and their families by deepening your understanding of exemplary practices and providing you with the tools you’ll need to develop action plans and assess your progress as you move toward the achievement of your goals.

Published: March, 2007 Updated: September, 2007

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MDRC conducted the research for its "Evaluation of Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs" report with a grant from the federal Institute for Education Science's National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Researchers tested the effectiveness of 45 minutes of focused academic instruction during afterschool, using specially created materials. The result was a statistically significant increase in students' mathematics scores.

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Download synthesis of recent afterschool research

This paper looks at the role of after school and summer learning programs in supporting student success. The paper explores how to bridge the divide between out-of-school time programs and schools by offering research-derived principles for effective expanded learning partnerships. It was commissioned by Learning Point Associates and the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS) as part of a report on school reform and expanded learning.

Visit website to download: Harvard Family Research Project Website

As states and districts prepare for the disbursement of billions of dollars from the federal stimulus bill, there is a tremendous opportunity both to create jobs quickly and take a major step toward closing the achievement gap through innovative programming.

A joint paper from the Education Commission of the States and the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University identifies how states can use summer learning programs to maximize new federal funds while also increasing their chances of receiving additional federal funding through the Race to the Top awards program

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Published: March 2009

A new report issues a fundamental challenge to established education policies that were promoted by the Bush administration and are likely to be continued by the Obama administration. These policies are based on a belief that public schools should shoulder the blame for the "achievement gap" between poor and minority students and the rest of the student population. But the new policy report argues that out-of-school factors are the real culprit--and that if those factors are not addressed, it will be impossible for schools to meet the demands made of them.

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Ranging from information about how to identify a child with ADHD to overall strategies for the successful instruction of children with ADHD.

The website has addtional information!

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Published: 2006

This study provides a national profile of various types of formal after-school programs physically located at public elementary schools in 2008. These programs included stand-alone programs that focus primarily on a single type of service (e.g., only day care) and broad-based programs that provide a combination of services such as academic enrichment and cultural activities. This report focuses on four broad types of after-school programs: (1) fee-based stand-alone day care programs for which parents paid fees; (2) stand-alone academic instruction/tutoring programs that focus exclusively on academic instruction or tutoring, including Supplemental Educational Services in schools that did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress; (3) the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLCs) administered through the federally funded 21st CCLC Program to provide academic enrichment opportunities; and (4) other types of formal stand-alone or broad-based after-school programs.

Fifty-six percent of public elementary schools reported that one or more after-school programs were physically located at the school in 2008. Forty-six percent of public elementary schools reported a fee-based stand-alone day care program; 43 percent reported one or more stand-alone academic instruction/tutoring programs; 10 percent reported a 21st CCLC, and 16 percent reported other types of after-school programs. Together, the various types of after-school programs accounted for an estimated 4 million enrollments. These include duplicated enrollments because students could be enrolled in more than one program. The proportion of public elementary schools reporting that their students attended after-school programs at another location ranged from 46 percent for fee-based stand-alone day care to 3 percent for 21st CCLCs.

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Published: February, 2009

There is extensive evidence from a wide range of promotion, prevention and treatment interventions that youth can be taught personal and social skills (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2003; Commission on Positive Youth Development, 2005; L’Abate & Milan, 1985; Greenberg et al., 2003). Moreover, theory and research about skills training of children and adolescents indicate that learning is more likely to occur when evidence-based training approaches are used (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2003; Durlak, 1997, 2003; Elias et al., 1997; National Research Council & Institute of Medicine, 2002; Payton et al. 2000; Weissberg & Greenberg, 1998). Effective approaches to skills development are sequential, active, focused and explicit. Knowing this, we hypothesized that programs that used all four approaches to promote youths’ personal and social skills would be more successful than those that did not, and we developed a method to capture the application of these evidence-based approaches. (The rationale and coding methodology for these variables are described in the full report.)

Published: 2007

Conflict Resolution Education: A Guide to Implementing Programs in Schools, Youth-Serving Organizations, and Community and Juvenile Justice Settings was developed for educators, juvenile justice practitioners, and others in youth-serving organizations to heighten awareness of conflict resolution education and its potential to help settle disputes peacefully in a variety of settings. A joint project of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education, this Guide provides background information on conflict resolution education; an overview of four widely used, promising, and effective approaches; and guidance on how to initiate and implement conflict resolution education programs in various settings.

As adults, we cannot solve young people’s problems for them. We can, however, provide them with the knowledge, skills, and encouragement to resolve conflicts in a nonviolent manner, using words instead of fists or weapons. Conflict resolution education includes negotiation, mediation, and consensus decisionmaking, which allow all parties involved to explore peaceful solutions to a conflict. When these problem-solving processes to conflict and strife become a way of life, young people begin to value getting along instead of getting even or getting their way.

Published: October, 1996

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The purpose of this guide is to help after school programs become more effective in their efforts to engage families after school in benefit of children’s social development, informal learning, and academic growth. The guide has three sections. Section I presents current research on the benefits and challenges of engaging families after school. Section II describes four strategies that after school programs can use to engage families, drawing from current research and program examples to detail and illustrate these strategies in action. Section III offers in-depth profiles of three after school programs actively working to engage families. As our definition suggests, engaging families is a journey, and practitioners need the skills and tools to track their progress in this work. For this reason, Section IV offers an approach and related tools for collecting information that can improve family engagement efforts. Additional information at the end of the guide includes a list of suggested readings and websites for engaging families.

Published: 2006

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