Resource Database

Photo of students outdoors reviewing a map together
The Illinois Quality Afterschool team has created this resource database to help you and your staff provide high-quality 21st CCLC programming. Browse or search the database to find the latest information on afterschool research, best practices, tools, conference proceedings, policy briefs, professional development tools, and activities.

Click on a topic or use the search box below to look for a listing:


There are 488 resources. Displaying 10 resources per page.

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Real Men Read

This video from PBS Learning Media highlights a literacy program designed to foster a love of reading among male students through community engagement. Reading Specialist Marilu Bicknell in Glassboro, NJ, was concerned by statistics showing that young boys are more interested in sports than books, so she created the Real Men Read Literacy Project at the Thomas E. Bowe Elementary School. The program consists of regular breakfasts with men in the community (including alumni, the town's mayor, athletes, and school janitors) and an afterschool book club for boys to explore various book genres with their peers. The website includes a video about the program and discussion questions.



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Family and Community Engagement
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
The Role of Expanded Learning Opportunities in Competency-Based Education Systems

The American Youth Policy Forum recently hosted a discussion on the role of expanded-learning opportunities in competency-based education systems, including college and career standards. Competency-based education allows students to advance at their own pace and provides differentiated, student-centered instruction and assessment across a full range of competencies. Afterschool programs, which allow students to access unique and engaging learning experiences, can play a valuable role in such systems by augmenting, reinforcing, and applying learning during the school day. This discussion provided an opportunity for afterschool practitioners to hear from leaders who are currently incorporating expanded-learning opportunities into competency-based systems. A summary of the discussion is now available on the American Youth Policy Forum website.



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College and Career Readiness
A New Resource for Educators, Community and Afterschool Leaders and Funders: Expanding Minds and Opportunities

On November 19, the Developmental Studies Center (DSC) is sponsoring a webinar on the many important uses of the new landmark compendium titled Expanding Minds and Opportunities: Leveraging the Power of Afterschool and Summer Learning for Student Success. The executive editor and publisher will share ideas on using the compendium's articles for professional development, advocacy, and grant and report writing. This event builds on the November 3 webinar, More Than Just Another “To-do” on the List: The Benefits of Strong School, Principal, and Afterschool/Community Relationships, which DSC also sponsored.



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Program Management
Getting to Work on Summer Learning: Recommended Practices for Success

This Wallace Foundation report offers guidance to district leaders interested in launching or improving summer learning programs and includes key recommendations that address planning, curriculum and instruction, teacher selection and training, enrichment activities, attendance, academic time on task, and program cost and funding. These recommendations are based on evaluations of summer programs in six urban districts selected for a multi-year demonstration project funded by The Wallace Foundation.



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Program Management
Is Citywide Afterschool Coordination Going Nationwide? An Exploratory Study in Large Cities

Published by The Wallace Foundation and FHI 360, this report includes profiles of 27 cities that have taken steps to improve coordination among their afterschool providers, creating citywide systems designed to support high-quality programs and increase access. The research report explores the prevalence of afterschool coordination, the extent to which large cities have adopted key afterschool coordination components, and the roles of the mayor, city manager, city agencies, and other organizations in providing reliable information and commitment to quality.



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Program Management
Fall Issue of Afterschool Matters

Published by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, Afterschool Matters is a national, peer-reviewed journal with articles dedicated to promoting professionalism, scholarship, and consciousness in the field of afterschool education. The Fall 2013 issue includes articles on professional development, community service, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).



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Program Management
Not Just a Walk in the Park: Efficacy to Effectiveness for After School Programs in Communities of Concentrated Urban Poverty

Published in Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, this journal article examines a model for mental health consultation, training, and support for publicly funded recreational afterschool programs in communities of concentrated urban poverty. The model was designed to improve children’s academic, social, and behavioral functioning. The authors assessed children’s mental health needs and examined the feasibility and impact of intervention on program quality and children’s psychosocial outcomes in three afterschool sites, compared to three demographically matched sites that received no intervention. Findings revealed high staff satisfaction and feasibility of intervention, and modest improvements in observed program quality and staff-reported children’s outcomes.



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Diverse Learners
* "A subscription or fee is required to access this resource. If you would like to read the rsource you can purchase it from the publisher or ask your local library if they subscribe to the publication or can order a copy."
Afterschool Thanksgiving Activities

The National Afterschool Association has pinned several Thanksgiving-related activities on their Pinterest Board. The pinboard includes community service resources, reading and writing activities, and of course food-related activities.



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Academic Enrichment
NASA’s Exploration Design Challenge

Sponsored by NASA, the Exploration Design Challenge is an opportunity for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. The challenge is linked to NASA and Lockheed Martin’s development of the Orion spacecraft, which will carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit to an asteroid or to Mars. Protecting astronauts from radiation on these distant travels is an important-and very real-problem that needs solving. There are four challenge categories: grades K-4, grades 5-8, grades 9-12, and individuals or groups.



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Topics
Academic Enrichment

There are 488 resources. Displaying 10 items per page.

Pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49 

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Unexpected Careers in STEM

Did you know there are STEM jobs other than scientist, mathematician, and engineer? The National Air and Space Museum’s webcast STEM in 30 has released an episode titled "Unexpected Careers in STEM." This episode discusses how career interests such as writing or cooking can lead to a career in the aerospace industry....
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National Women’s History Museum Digital Classroom Resources

Are you looking to incorporate more diverse historical narratives into your curriculum? The National Women’s History Museum has curated several lesson plans, biographies, posters, and primary sources focused on female historical figures. Educators can use these resources to teach their students about renowned women such as Shirley Chisolm and events such as the 1977 National Women’s Conference....
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