Academic researchers dedicated to contributing to quality improvement in professional practice need to find more effective ways to bridge the gap between research and practice. Bridging the gap requires understanding what encourages the use of research findings by practitioners and what discourages it, as well as understanding how practitioners…

After-school programs can help show students how academics are relevant to their personal interests, and serve as training grounds for future teachers. This article features LA's BEST After School Enrichment Program whose mission is to provide a safe and supervised after school education, enrichment, and recreation program for children ages 5 to…

The number of children and youth who are overweight has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. According to the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese. In…

The authors argue that it is time to place park and recreation professionals in K-12 schools on a permanent basis. Their proposal is based on the following observations: (1) school facilities are grossly underutilized; (2) the majority of a child's life takes place outside the classroom; (3) park and recreation programs are effective…

Studied the conceptualization of the role of the recreation teacher (instructor in leisure time centers in schools) during team planning sessions in two Swedish schools. Recreation instructors were generally viewed as teachers' assistants, a finding that suggests that recreation instructors who want to develop an occupational identity as the…

After-school activity programs to alleviate the worries of working parents with school-age children and to provide these children with directed play are proposed. A budget for such a program; how to locate volunteers; and a sample schedule are suggested. (JL)

An after-school computer club was developed in which language-minority children learned to master a series of educational computer games through reading instructions, interacting with peers, and interacting with adult mentors. Results show how an informal educational environment can foster generalizable problem-solving skills that transfer to…

Research suggests that after-school programs reduce juvenile crime and risky behavior; increase confidence, academic performance, and social skills; and build positive adult-child and home-school relationships. The need for supervised after-school activities, especially in poor neighborhoods; the characteristics of successful programs; and the…

Describes the development, characteristics, and effectiveness of the Everybuddy Program in South Richmond-Chesterfield, Virginia, an integrated after-school care and recreation program for disabled and nondisabled children. (BB)