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Looking for ways to engage all learners, even those who are reluctant to speak up in groups? This 60-second strategy video from Edutopia shows how to make participation cards that students can use to share their opinion. The cards provide ways for shyer students to join discussions and can also serve as a formative assessment.

Educators are often looking for ways to help students discover internal motivation and their individual path to learning. This research story from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Usable Knowledge project explores ways that educators can help students find their motivating “why.” The article includes an interview with Education Lecturer Todd Rose and provides strategies for helping students develop curiosity and motivation.

Many young people who are interested in improving their communities are speaking up and trying to make change through civic engagement. This archived webinar from the Afterschool Alliance provides guidance on how expanded learning programs can support youth who want to advocate for issues that are important to them. The webinar also offers suggestions on connecting youth voice and engagement to Lights On Afterschool advocacy events. Free registration is required.

Youth wellness is a key part of an afterschool program’s support for educating the whole child. This issue brief from the Afterschool Alliance advocates for a “big-picture” approach to wellness, which includes healthy eating and physical activity combined with social and emotional learning. In addition to explaining the importance of supporting student wellness, the brief provides examples of wellness practices and strategies that afterschool programs are currently using. An issue brief summary document is also available.

As the movement to promote healthy living and wellness through afterschool gains momentum, advocates are assessing the movement’s progress and future. This article in Education Week outlines the movement’s progress and links to research and resources. Education Week provides access to a limited number of articles when readers complete the free registration.

KnowledgeWorks, with support from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, has created a toolkit to help educators engage in conversations about how our changing world affects student learning. The toolkit contains detailed facilitation instructions and activities that can be modified for different stakeholder groups. Topics include exploring future graduate profiles, designing student-centered learning experiences, mapping a learning community, and prototyping learning solutions.

Intentional activity design can mean the difference between an activity that simply fills time and one that helps students achieve meaningful goals. This blog post from the U.S. Department of Education's Y4Y web portal includes guiding questions for creating intentional activities with a clear purpose, an activity design diagram, and links to other resources.

This AIR report that was published by the Wallace Foundation reviews research on arts integration, activities that leverage the arts to improve student outcomes. The report also identifies arts integration activities that qualify for federal education funding. These findings may be useful for schools or expanded learning programs that are seeking new opportunities to offer arts integration through the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The Afterschool Alliance surveyed 365 afterschool providers on their perceptions of public libraries, what kinds of partnerships they have, as well as ideas for future growth. The report includes key findings, challenges to partnerships, opportunities for STEM, and recommendations for growing partnerships.

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.