Civic engagement starts with our nation's young people, since engagement in adolescence increases the likelihood of engagement in adulthood. As 3 in 4 superintendents agree that preparing students for engaged citizenship is a challenge for their district, it is important to recognize that afterschool and summer learning programs are critical…

School nurses, in conjunction with students' healthcare providers, are the professionals responsible for determining health services for students with identified health needs. They can also provide necessary training and support to ensure the safety of all students in school-sponsored programs. Extended school year programs and before and after…

The 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is a nationally representative survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. State-level data are also available for public schools, principals, and teachers. NTPS collects data on core topics including teacher and…

This policy memo is centered on student recommendations put forth at the conclusion of a six-week summer institute between the Cuba Independent School District and the University of Colorado Boulder. Students were asked to engage with different research mediums in order to better understand the context of education, its history, and the present…

Psychiatric disorders, particularly substance use disorders, are an impactful and highly prevalent public health concern in youth from low-income neighborhoods (YLINs). Indeed, prevention and intervention programs for mental health disorders that have evidenced improvements in youth from general population are not well integrated into community…

This design case describes the development of three analog games intended to introduce middle school-age girls to core computer science (CS) concepts. We describe the learning objectives, game mechanics, and narrative elements of each game, and some key problems and decisions that we confronted during the design process. Our design process was…

The poster is a promising mechanism for inclusive scholarship. Inclusive scholarship provides direct opportunities for inclusion and representation. Community partner and youth participants in an urban gardening program were engaged in program-related scholarship via involvement in creation of a poster and its presentation at a community…

Rangeley Friends of the Arts (RFA) is a nonprofit arts organization in Rangeley, a town of 1,200 souls in the rural western mountains of Maine. Working with existing facilities and a largely volunteer workforce, the article explains how this group established Creative After School Arts, or CASA--a program that provides a safe home away from home…

In this article we propose that educational game design should work to create games as objects-to-think-with--games that engage players in the exploration of and experimentation with personally interesting questions around domain-relevant representations. We argue that this design focuses on developing tools and interactions that the player can…

Middle School 88 in Brooklyn, New York serves a community of students often considered at high risk for dropping out of high school and other socially undesirable behaviors. In this high-need setting, the authors designed and implemented an environmental education program designed to meet the needs of urban youth of color. The approach they used,…

In a follow-up to a 2015 JFE article, the author created a project to show the lineage of various rhythm genres and legitimize the practice of rhythm play in a predominantly African American neighborhood.

One of the goals of afterschool programming is to empower students by increasing their sense of autonomy and giving them room to chart their own course of discovery. Long before STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) became part of the educational vernacular, afterschool practitioners were using science content and scientific practices…

This article focuses on the educational efforts of Syed Firoz Ashraf in the East Jogeshwari area of Mumbai and places his work in the context of the increasing communalisation of social life and education in a poor working class suburb in Mumbai city. Muslim community has been ghettoised in the metropolis to specific areas especially since the…

Students require experiences that reflect the difficult decision making found in the real world. A current and future challenge for today's students is understanding the balance between economic pressures and ensuring environmental conservation. Using problem-based learning (PBL) as a pedagogical vehicle, 10 groups of upper elementary students…

Funders and policymakers are increasingly recognizing the afterschool field for its vital role in supporting the social and emotional growth and academic achievement of school-age youth. Although this recognition is welcome, it often comes with increased expectations for high-quality research demonstrating the value of programming. To satisfy…