Human interactions across settings shape young people's learning and development, and building adult expertise in facilitating productive interactions takes deliberate practice and reflective experience. However, relational practices are not consistently part of adult learning for those who work with youth. We describe a 2-year design study to…

Principals in Sweden face leadership challenges as pedagogical leaders of School-age educare Centers (SAECs). This study examines how principals identify both professional development needs as well as challenges they face in supporting the SAEC teachers. The empirical data is based on reflections from 29 principals and vice-principals from four…

Background: Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education are increasingly recognizing the importance of understanding students' lived experience. More research is needed to deeply and contextually uncover voices, meanings, and stories that are enveloped within the complex realities of Hispanic women in engineering. Purpose: While…

Out-of-school time (OST) programs serving predominantly racialized minority communities can help reduce racial disparities in STEM as they provide a culturally affirming learning environment that includes supportive staff of similar ethnic identities as the youth. However, staff at OST programs located in underserved communities that serve…

Rather than imposing more school after school, out-of-school-time (OST) programs can integrate literacy into their program activities--just as literacy is integrated into every aspect of everyday life. Program activities give participants opportunities to put literacy, math, and science skills to use in authentic contexts. However, OST staff…

Research across multiple fields finds that adult-youth relationships are key influencers of development; however, professional learning about relational practice is limited. This suggests the need for targeted, efficient ways to help adults improve relational practice. We present a randomized controlled trial of Simple Interactions, a…

This case presents the design and assessment (at the Interaction level) of a student chronic condition e-learning module. The module is to be used by school nurses as a traditional presentation aid/slideshow to support their on-ground trainings for afterschool staff on how to manage students with chronic health conditions participating in…

Research has shown that peer victimization and bullying are common phenomena among pupils in different educational institutions, yet we know little about these issues in the educational context of the leisure-time centre. This study addresses leisure-time teachers' reflections on their work regarding peer victimization in the everyday practice of…

Most educators believe that social and emotional learning (SEL) skills are a fundamental part of good teaching and learning. Long before the pandemic, surveys showed that teachers believed these skills were essential for students to learn at school, and research confirmed that they are linked with measures of academic success. Educators need…

Our museum-based participatory research (PR) project was a collaboration between researchers and educators in an out-of-school time STEM education program for young people that positions STEM as a tool for community social justice. This project drew on literatures on reflective practice in museums and on research-practice partnerships. Yet…

Background: Designed in 2012 with a first implementation in 2013, NE STEM 4U is a professional development program for post-secondary students/undergraduates, and serves as a source of outreach, content knowledge generation, and STEM literacy for youth in grades kindergarten through 8th grade (ages 5-14). The model empowers post-secondary students…

Challenges to developing staff quality include limited staff hours and lack of funding for training. However, even organizations that have enough time and money still may not develop their people effectively. Traditionally, organizations send staff to trainings without offering follow-up support to enable them to apply the learning (Hirsh, 2009;…

In many applied youth development settings, including out-of-school time (OST) programs, volunteers play essential roles (Brennan, 2005). In some, volunteers are integral to service delivery -- for example, serving as mentors. In others, volunteers help link youth-serving organizations or their participants with needed resources, assets, or…

Background: Adult-child relational interactions constitute an essential component of out-of-school-time programs, and training staff to effectively interact with children is key to improving program quality. Efficient staff training, that meets the limited time availability of out-of-school time staff, is particularly needed. Objective: This pilot…

This article explores the All-Day Neighborhood Schools (ADNS) program, operated as a partnership between the New York City Board of Education and local philanthropists from 1936 to 1971. Designed to expand the resources available to children and parents, the program included after-school activities, additional teachers, professional development,…