Resources

Principal Supplement: After-school Learning
January/February 2018

Research and Reports

Afterschool Program Quality and Effectiveness: 25 Years of Results! Policy Studies Associates Inc. https://tinyurl.com/policystudies25 // Policy Studies Associates has evaluated after-school programs and policies for more than 25 years. This brief report contains highlights of what they have learned.

After-School Programs. Rand Corporation. Retrieved from www.rand.org/topics/after-school-programs.html // This resource offers several news releases, infographics, research briefs, and reports on the importance of after-school programs and their impact.

America After 3PM Special Report: The Growing Importance of Afterschool in Rural Communities. Afterschool Alliance. https://tinyurl.com/afterschoolalliance3pm // This report takes a closer look at the after-school experiences of children and families living in rural com­munities and compares these experiences to those of children and families outside of rural communities.

America After 3PM Special Report: Afterschool in Communities of Concentrated Poverty. Afterschool Alliance. www.afterschoolalliance.org/aa3pm/concentrated_poverty.pdf // This report documents the role that after-school programs play in supporting families living in high-poverty areas by answering questions about what after-school program participation looks like, what the demand for after-school programs is, and what is preventing children from participating.

Beyond the Classroom: What Principals Want When It Comes to Afterschool and Summer Learning. NAESP. http://afterschool.naesp.org // This 2017 report, archived on NAESP’s Afterschool & Summer Learning Portal, provides insight into principals’ perceptions on afterschool and summer programming, quality, operations, partnerships, and funding, as well as on student outcomes.

K12: Out of School Learning. Frame Works Institute. https://tinyurl.com/frameworksoutofschool // This resource offers two reports on mapping the gaps on where and when learning takes place and media discourses on learning, education, and education reform, respectively.

Knowledge Center: Afterschool. The Wallace Foundation. www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/after-school // This page offers a range of after-school resources and reports that will help make any after-school or summer program a success.

What Does the Research Say About Afterschool? Afterschool Alliance. https://tinyurl.com/afterschoolallianceresearch // This report contains a small sampling of findings—from meta-analyses to program-level evaluations—that show that there is demonstrable evidence of the positive impact programs have on students’ academics, school-day attendance, engagement in learning, and behavior.

Organizations

Afterschool Alliance (www.afterschoolalliance.org). The Alliance works with a broad range of organizations and supporters, including policymakers and policymaker associations, advocacy groups, after-school coalitions and providers at every level, business and philanthropic leaders, technical assistance organizations, and leaders representing a variety of interests, each with a stake in after-school programing.

Big Thought (www.bigthought.org). Big Thought is a nonprofit organization focused on building partnerships that close the opportunity gap through creative out-of-school programs.

Boston After School & Beyond (www.bostonbeyond.org). BASB expands learning and skill development opportuni­ties for students. BASB is at the forefront of the nation in after-school programming and innovation.

Engaging Creative Minds (www.engagingcreativeminds.org). ECM is a nonprofit organization based in South Carolina that provides arts-integrated, in-school, and summer programs for kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

National Summer Learning Association (www.summerlearning.org). NSLA is a national nonprofit organization focused on closing the achievement gap by increasing summer learning opportunities for all youth.

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