Resource Database

The U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth (Y4Y) web portal for 21st CCLC practitioners is offering a six-part virtual institute for new grantees. Topics include an introduction to the 21st CCLC program, afterschool program management, building your team and stakeholder relationships, implementing programming with fidelity, family engagement, and sustainability. The webinars are archived on the Y4Y website and include resources and handouts.

Summertime often means a chance for afterschool professionals to catch up on professional learning. This blog post from the Department of Education’s You for Youth (Y4Y) afterschool web portal offers fun and innovative ways that afterschool professionals can use technology for professional learning. There are suggestions and strategies: podcasts like those included in the Y4Y’s Click & Go professional learning series, social media, new apps, and virtual expeditions.

With support from Google, the National AfterSchool Association has developed the Afterschool Tech Toolkit to help afterschool professionals and educators provide students with meaningful ways to engage with technology after school. Modules include getting started with technology, developing a shared vision for digital learning, equity issues, embedding technology into curriculum, and strategies to train and support staff in the use of technology.

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.

Because they provide a wide range of experiences and learning opportunities, expanded learning programs can help bridge the gap between students’ skills and employers’ needs. This issue brief from the Afterschool Alliance outlines the foundational skills and competencies that the workforce needs today and is expected to need in the future. The brief also provides strategies and examples of how afterschool programs can help students develop these skills.

Communicating with families of a variety of backgrounds, including those coming to the United States from another country, is an important skill for educators. This research story from the Harvard Graduate School of Education provides strategies for working across language and cultural differences between educators and newcomer families.

Do you want to keep up with the latest strategies, lessons, and resources for Illinois standards and academic content? The Summer 2018 issues of the Illinois Classrooms in Action newsletters feature the favorite stories that were shared throughout the school year. There are newsletters for four different grade bands, ensuring that educators have access to age-appropriate lessons and resources.

This year, Illinois celebrates its bicentennial. As a partner in the state’s celebration, ISBE has provided educational resources to help Illinois students learn about the history of their state. Resources include activities, ideas, and lesson plans, as well as a timeline of Illinois history. ISBE will update its bicentennial site as more resources and activities are available, so be sure to visit the site throughout the year.

Expanded learning programs are an ideal setting to help students develop social and emotional competencies. These programs can also help principals and teachers, many of whom report facing barriers to implementation in the school setting. This research brief from the Afterschool Alliance provides an overview of SEL and the role of afterschool in supporting SEL for students. It also profiles four afterschool programs and their strategies for implementing strong SEL programs.

Service learning can strengthen social and emotional learning (SEL) skills among students. That is the primary finding shared in “Longitudinal Change in Adolescents’ Prosocial Behavior Toward Strangers, Friends, and Family,” a recent article in the Journal of Research on Adolescence. The type of service learning activity matters, however. Service learning activities that align with educational activities have more meaning for students. Similarly, working with individuals who are less fortunate helps students develop empathy and self-esteem. A summary of the study and findings can be found on the Education Dive website.