Program Quality

CASRC Accepting Applications for 2008-2009 Material Review Board

John T. Jones — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:43:38 -0400

The California After School Resource Center (CASRC) is accepting applications for their 2008-2009 Material Review Board (MRB). MRB members evaluate K-12 instructional materials to help CASRC select the best resources for California schools and after school programs. Teachers, after school program staff, health educators, school health providers, and university faculty are encouraged to apply. The deadline is October 10, 2008. To learn more about the MRB and to apply, click here.

Free “Use That Book!” Webnairs offered by the Center for Afterschool Education at Foundations, Inc.

John T. Jones — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:29:03 -0400

The Center for Afterschool Education at Foundations Inc. launches free “Use That Book!” webnairs. The webnair is designed to help staff access afterschool style guides. The first webnair is a 45 minute interactive presentation on GraffitiWall. This presentation will be held on October 16, 2008. Participants will receive a tour of the book and participate in a question and answer session. The Center offers additional free webnairs throughout the 2008-2009 calendar year.

Campaign to Prevent High School Dropout

John T. Jones — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:26:38 -0400

A new report from America's Promise Alliance has stunning data about the high school graduation rate in our nation's 50 largest cities: only about half (52 percent) of students in the main school systems actually finish high school with a diploma -- the number is as low as 35 percent in Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit and Indianapolis. To view this study and find out more about the America’s Promise Dropout prevention campaign, go to http://www.connectforkids.org/node/6506

Getting it Right: Strategies for After-School Success

John T. Jones — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:03:17 -0400

This report synthesizes the last 10 years of findings from Public/Private Ventures and other researchers' work to address one of the most demanding challenges facing today's after-school programs-how to create and manage programs that stand the best chance of producing specific, policy-relevant outcomes. It examines recruitment strategies that attract young people to activities, the qualities that make activities engaging and motivate participants to attend regularly, and the infrastructure-staffing, management and monitoring-needed to support such activities.

Giving a Student Voice to California’s Dropout Crisis

John T. Jones — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:25:23 -0400

A new report from the California Dropout Research Project investigates the causes of high school dropout through dialogue with youth throughout the state. The study found that Teacher-student relationships are a powerful force in determining student's overall experiences of school; the absence of support seems fundamental to the rationale for dropping out. To view this study, go to http://www.lmri.ucsb.edu/dropouts/pubs_reports.htm

Social Policy Report: After-School Programs and Academics: Implications for Policy, Practice, and Research

John T. Jones — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:05:58 -0400

This article by Robert Granger of the W.T. Grant Foundation examines program evaluation literature, observational studies, and commentaries to summarize after school programs impacts on academics, components of successful programming, and identifies approaches to program improvement. To view this article, click here.

Positive Impacts of After School Programs: Video and Powerpoint Presentations

John T. Jones — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:39:27 -0500

The Research Speaker Workshop held at UCLA on January 24, 2008 featured Denise Huang Ph.D. (UCLA) spoke about her participation in the recently released Department of Justice longitudinal study regarding the positive impact of the L.A.'s BEST after school program on juvenile crime rates, and Professor Deborah Vandell (UCI) spoke about her recently released study on the academic and social benefits of eight nationwide after school programs. The event also featured a focused question and answer session.

Family And Neighborhood Risks: How They Relate to Involvement in Out-Of-School Time Activities

John T. Jones — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:27:53 -0400

This Child Trends study analyzes family and community data for children ages 6 to 17 from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health and finds that nearly half of children in high-risk families are not involved in any out of school time activity regardless of neighborhood risk level. While children from all levels of neighborhood risk that do not have high risk families participate in out of school activities at much higher rates.

A Policy Agenda to Achieve Afterschool for All in New York State

Jeff Davis — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:45:34 -0500

Offers a snapshot of after school in NY and outlines steps to ensure youth have access to high quality after school opportunities. To view this study visit http://www.tascorp.org/section/what_we_do/public_policy/partners/nysan1

After School Programs in the 21st Century

John T. Jones — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:01:09 -0400

The latest “Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation” research brief from Harvard Family Research Project draws on seminal research and evaluation studies to address two primary questions: (a) Does participation in after school programs make a difference, and, if so (b) what conditions appear to be necessary to achieve positive results?

Positive Impacts of After School Programs: Entire presentation

John T. Jones — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:30:43 -0500

Promising Practices In OST Professional Development

Lenora Bruce — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:34:19 -0500

Research in the out-of-school time (OST) field confirms that there is a strong connection between professional development for staff and positive outcomes for youth. The Out-of-School Time Resource Center (OSTRC) in the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania recently released Promising Practices in Out-of-School Time Professional Development. The document broadly defines OST professional development and summarizes promising practices in its design, implementation, and evaluation.

Building Community through Connecting With Schools

Lenora Bruce — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:18:07 -0500

The Center for Collaborative Solutions recently released volume 4 in their New Relationships with Schools: Building Community by Connecting With Schools series studying organizations that have sought to strengthen their communities by working with schools to improve public education. The study highlights the work of five such organizations throughout the country, including one in San Francisco that used “conversation-based engagement,” speaking directly with schools and communities regarding their needs in order to influence educational policy and practice.

Child Trends Briefs 5 and 6 in Practical Evaluation Methods

Lenora Bruce — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:14:59 -0500

Two new briefs recently released from Child Trends offer primers for program providers about Random Assignment and Quasi-Experimental evaluation.

To view the entire Child Trends' series of briefs on practical evaluation methods, visit www.childtrends.org/researchtoresults.

Outcome Evaluation: A Guide for Out-of-School Time Practitioners

Jeff Davis — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:13:33 -0500

This Child Trends brief provides a basic review of outcome evaluations, discusses why they are important and when they are useful, and discusses ways they can be implemented in out-of-school time programs. The brief also highlights the experience of an out-of-school time program that has conducted an outcome evaluation and provides a list of helpful evaluation resources. To view this brief visit
http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2008_01_07_OutcomeEvaluat...

Childhood Obesity: Harnessing the Power of Public and Private Partnerships

Jeff Davis — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:05:35 -0400

The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) report that profiles three case studies of obesity prevention collaborations, documents the factors that led to successes and challenges, and shares four
critical factors for collaborations in this area. To view and download, click the link:
http://www.nihcm.org/pdf/FINAL_report_CDC_CO.pdf