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Organizations with strong financial management are better able to fulfill their missions and deliver high-quality services. The Wallace Foundation has developed a suite of online resources to help nonprofit organizations strengthen financial management. The resources are divided into four key areas: planning, monitoring, operations, and governance.

The National Afterschool Association (NAA) has created a podcast series called “Quality Conversations.” In the series, NAA executive director Gina Warner is speaking to researchers, experts, practitioners, and funders about afterschool quality-what it is, how to achieve it, and why it’s imperative. The first two episodes address partnering with community colleges and using school and community needs assessments to design high-impact afterschool programs.

Two federal initiatives-the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program and waivers of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)-call on school districts to expand learning time in low-performing schools. This summary report from the Center on Education Policy outlines findings from case studies of 17 low-performing schools in 11 districts in Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, and Virginia. It also focuses on state and local responses to these federal learning time requirements. The case studies included site visits and interviews with 49 state, district, and school officials.

This resource from Every Hour Counts provides a common framework for measuring youth outcomes from expanded learning programs and the program and system practices that may influence them. While still in pilot form, the revised Measurement Framework is designed to serve ultimately as a blueprint for understanding the impact of programs on youth outcomes, making improvements at the system and program levels, and influencing policy.

This publication from the Wallace Foundation explores how national nonprofits can provide expanded learning opportunities to as many children as possible while maintaining program quality and financial stability. The publication is based on input from Wallace grantees, researchers, experts in nonprofit strategy, communications professionals, and foundation staff.

This directory from the American Youth Policy Forum identifies over 50 organizations offering resources and tools on afterschool system building. The directory organizes resources by research, advocacy, technical assistance and tools, and convenings.

Produced by the Afterschool Alliance, America After 3PM provides a snapshot of the afterschool field. Based on a survey of nearly 14,000 parents and guardians, the report finds that some 18% of children in surveyed households took part in an afterschool program in 2014-compared with 15% in 2009. The report also finds that there remains a large unmet demand for afterschool programming.

Part three in a series by California-based Summer Matters, this report explores how education leaders can use summer programs to provide professional learning opportunities. The study found that teachers working in summer programs used the time to work on project-based lessons and youth facilitation skills. Non-credentialed program staff got more experience with program planning. The study also reports on staff perceptions regarding the effect these summer experiences will have on their professional practices during the regular school year.

“Looking at the Data: Afterschool Programs Using Data to Better Serve Students,” an issue brief from the Afterschool Alliance and the MetLife Foundation discusses how afterschool programs can use data to serve students in their programs. The brief describes how afterschool programs benefit from data collection and evaluation. It also outlines the steps necessary for program evaluation and provides examples from the afterschool field.

Most afterschool programs share space and resources with a school district or community organization. This resource from the National AfterSchool Association discusses how afterschool practitioners can improve collaboration and communication with the organizations with whom they share resources. The article provides strategies for communication and emphasizes the benefits of working with community partners, even in challenging situations.