Resource Database

Adolescent Literacy

Published by the Carnegie Corporation, Adolescent Literacy Development in Out-of-School Time: A Practitioner’s Guidebook helps educators integrate adolescent literacy development initiatives into out-of-school programs. The publication identifies different ways that out-of-school programs support adolescent literacy: explicit literacy and academic instructional activities, literary enhancement, supporting general academic enrichment, and social development activities that may require the use of literacy-related skills. There is also information on promising practices in supporting adolescent literacy and ideas and strategies for planning, implementing, and expanding an out-of-school time program’s adolescent literacy offerings.

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Academic Enrichment

Advancing Arts Education through an Expanded School Day: Lessons from Five Schools

This report from The Wallace Foundation profiles five schools that are strengthening access to arts education as part of a strategy to expand the school day. The report finds that educators at the schools considered arts to be central to their mission, organized the school day to support arts instruction, and saw the arts as improving student engagement. While the report focuses on schools that have extended the school day, there is also useful information for afterschool practitioners: different approaches to arts education, cross-curricular connections, funding, and how the programs benefit students.

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Afterschool Enrichment

After-School Data: Six Tip Sheets on What Cities Need to Know

This set of data sheets from the Wallace Foundation helps afterschool leaders and stakeholders use data more effectively. The first data sheet provides an overview on the use of data in afterschool. The remaining five offer information on using data for advocacy work, assessment and program improvement, accountability, identifying and addressing gaps in programming, and data-sharing strategies. The resource is designed for city agencies, afterschool program providers, intermediary organizations, and others.

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Program Management

Afterschool and Summer Learning: A City Strategy to Support College and Career Readiness

Increased student attendance and engagement in school, higher academic achievement, and graduating with the necessary skills, experience, and education to pursue postsecondary education or career are all components of college and career readiness. Because high-quality expanded learning programs are associated with these outcomes, some city leaders are looking to afterschool and summer learning programs to ensure that young citizens are college and career ready. This report from the National League of Cities provides examples from promising expanded learning programs and describes ways that their local communities can support them.

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College and Career Readiness

Afterschool and the Common Core State Standards

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, has produced an issue brief on Afterschool and the Common Core State Standards. The brief outlines the education environment that led to the development of the standards and their purpose. It also explains how afterschool programs can help schools implement Common Core State Standards and provides examples of specific programs and activities that support implementation. In addition to the issue brief, the Afterschool Alliance has also created an informational one pager on afterschool and the Common Core State Standards.

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Academic Enrichment

Afterschool and the School-to-Prison Pipeline

This American Youth Policy Forum article explores how out-of-school time programs can be positioned as a mechanism for disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline. Examples include the safe, supportive environment that afterschool programs provide; social and emotional learning; culturally relevant teaching; diverse learning experiences; and wraparound services.

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Diverse Learners

Afterschool and Workforce: Opportunities for System-Level Alignment

The workforce sector, which includes all state and local actors directly involved in workforce development, and afterschool and youth development fields all recognize the need to help youth develop critical skills and competencies to participate in the workforce. Instead of collaborating, however, these different sectors work in isolation. A new white paper by the American Youth Policy Forum explores how afterschool and workforce systems can align to help better meet the needs of youth and the workforce.

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College and Career Readiness

Afterschool Matters

A recent issue of Afterschool Matters, a publication of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, has several articles relevant to Illinois 21st CCLC grantees. Topics include STEM making and learning, factors that influence employees’ commitment to out-of-school time work, and how teens perceive agency in youth development programs.

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Afterschool Enrichment

Afterschool Matters

The latest issue of Afterschool Matters, a peer-reviewed journal of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, has a variety of articles to inform and educate your afterschool team. Topics include equity and inclusion, mentoring, motivating students with video games, and how afterschool can affect students' sense of autonomy.

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Program Management

Afterschool Matters

The Spring 2018 issue of Afterschool Matters, the magazine of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, includes articles useful to Illinois 21st CCLC grantees. Topics include fostering friendships and peer groups in afterschool programs, promoting youth voice, and the work of an afterschool ecology club.

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Program Management