When COVID-19 shut down in-person programs across the world in 2020, we (the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab)) as practitioners were in unknown territory. This paper outlines the structure of a 10-week online Summer Exploration Series (SES) program along with the evaluation performed by staff at the MagLab in 2020. The goal of the…

How can relationship building and demonstrating impact on learning be done? As professionals, school librarians must seek out opportunities to lead or work with others in the area of programming. Much can be done in the library space but when the programs occur outside the school library, a librarian's willingness to be adaptable is leveraged and…

Youth are natural scientists at birth, discovering and exploring their world and trying to make sense of it (Bers, 2008). A child's education is not limited to just the time they spend in the classroom. Children learn at home with their families, in public libraries, or through out-of-school-time (OST) experiences provided at community centers and…

This study is a meta-analysis of the effects of out-of-school time (after school, summer camps, enrichment programs, etc.) on the student interest in STEM. This study was guided by the following research questions: (1) How effective is OST as a means to foster student interest in STEM? (2) How does the effectiveness of OST differ by program and…

Summer learning loss contributes significantly to the achievement gap between low income students and their more affluent peers. That makes high quality summer learning programs a smart investment for school districts concerned about success for all students. Such investments have become easier thanks to the flexibility built into the Local…

Well-designed face-to-face and virtual communities of practice provide opportunities for teachers to learn, grow as professionals and make changes to their practice with the support of peers. However, as more K-12 teachers become Connected Educators and act as conduits between online spaces and communities in their schools, the boundaries between…

This mixed methods research investigated the relationship between student and teacher perceptions of five motivational components of instruction--appeal, challenge, choice, meaningfulness, and academic self-efficacy--and how teachers' knowledge of their students' perceptions informed their reflection on the quality of instruction. The Student…

Purpose: The purpose of this directory was to identify, describe, and evaluate evidence that the education practices improve academic performance, close the achievement gap, and improve persistence towards graduation for low-income, first-generation, and historically-underrepresented 6th grade through college students. Method: The sample for the…

This 2016 directory identifies, describes, and contains evaluative data evidence-based practices that improve academic performance, close the achievement gap, and improve persistence towards graduation for low-income, first-generation, and historically-underrepresented 6th grade through college students. The directory was a production of the…

Schools and communities are finding new ways to provide students with quality learning opportunities outside the traditional school day. Statistics reveal that as many as 5 million children may be left alone at home each week while parents work. Before- and afterschool programs, summer learning activities, and mentoring and tutoring efforts are…

Notes that it is not known whether more time spent in school increases children's learning. Suggests that instead of running the "assembly line" for more hours, educators might try a summer program based on enrichment and fun-time activities as an alternative way to discover whether more learning time would be a good investment. An important…

Describes a young adult summer reading game which is offered in three age-level versions from grades 1 through 12 at Enoch Pratt Free Library (Maryland). Benefits of young adult reading games in public libraries, game rules and sample questions, and the game finale visit to Walters Art Gallery are highlighted. (EJS)

Discusses various program activities at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) camps, including environmental workshops which foster exploration, discovery, and skill development. Highlights recreational and evening activities for the one-week camping experience for 12 to 17 year olds. (JN)

Produced by the participants at a summer curriculum development workshop, this booklet has a threefold purpose: to help educators in analyzing both the process and product of student writing to find ways of improving that writing, to provide activities for generating more and better student writing and for encouraging students to revise and edit…

Devised by participants in a summer workshop focusing on writing in the content areas, this guide contains activities for improving writing skills at all grade levels. The various sections of the guide provide the following: (1) a general discussion of teaching writing in all subject areas; (2) ways to use interviews to gather information for use…