This brief is designed to support states, districts, and schools in developing strategies to support the academic achievement of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. The brief overview discusses strategies for addressing achievement barriers that AI/AN students might face in school, as well as how school leaders can develop a master…

This article explores the experiences of female mentees and their mentors in an afterschool support program in two informal urban settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. We sought the perspectives of mentees and mentors to identify what has changed concerning the education and social lives of the girls because of this education intervention. Data come from…

Involvement by the adult community in schools and students' lives is an effective way to increase student attendance, boost morale, and improve students' perceptions about their school experience. This study examined a two-year comprehensive community intervention initiative within a high-risk junior high school, measuring its impact on student…

This article describes a broader, bolder approach to education reform aimed at addressing the social and economic disadvantages that hinder student achievement. Central principles of this approach to reform include the provision of supports such as early childhood and preschool programs, after-school and summer enrichment programs, parent…

While research on program effectiveness offers ample evidence that afterschool programs can benefit young people in a variety of ways, this same body of research demonstrates that not all programs are equally effective (Granger, 2008). Some programs show positive results in many or all major outcome categories. Other programs are associated with…

There is a growing conviction that out-of-school programs can play an important role in improving student achievement. Both government and private sources are investing in them. This report focuses on the expanding prevalence of after-school programs in California, and profiles their nature and the demands that they face. Funding has been…

This document consists of the first two issues of a brief (usually 6-page) serial publication highlighting the Making After-School Count initiative, programs across the country wherein communities and schools cooperate to serve children after school hours. The June 1998 issue discusses a teleconference discussion with Vice President Al Gore to…

This document consists of the three 1999 issues of a journal highlighting the Making After-School Count Initiative, programs across the country wherein communities and schools cooperate to serve children during after-school hours. The February 1999 issue describes grassroots efforts by California parents and religious leaders to secure funding for…

Studies show that afterschool programs improve academic achievement, reduce grade retention and increase student attendance and interest in school. Across the country, afterschool is a key element in strategies to turn around under-performing schools. The superintendent of Philadelphia and the governor of Virginia have used afterschool to turn…

An evaluation of the fifth year of the More Effective Schools Program, this study utilized observations, interviews, central office and school records, and questionnaires administered to parents, teachers, specialists, students, and paraprofessionals for evaluation purposes. In this 1968-69 program, 1,422 teachers supplemented by 485 special…

This paper describes U.S. Department of Defense Schools, an education system with significant outcomes that may be pertinent to raising academic achievement among minority students. A research group examined the high achievement of African American and Hispanic students in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. Results find that…

In 2001, the National Education Goals Panel commissioned researchers from Vanderbilt University to study the consistent high achievement of African American and Latino students in Department of Defense schools. This digest summarizes the results of their study and presents supporting research that identifies policies and practices that may…

The James Irvine Foundation launched the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative in 1999 with the goal of improving the academic achievement of children in the lowest-performing schools in five California cities. In 2004, CORAL adopted a more targeted approach toward reaching this goal by integrating a regular…

Researchers and policymakers have pointed to the lagging scores of eighth graders on international, national, and state assessments as evidence that students are not prepared to meet high academic standards and that middle grades reform is needed. In response to these concerns, educators have introduced reforms designed to provide middle-level…

During a typical week, as many as 14 million children and youth across the United States lack adult supervision during non-school hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the lack of structured and supervised afterschool programs in American communities contributes to a higher incidence of drug and alcohol use and delinquent…