Technology is now being utilized in schools in an effort to address the lack of engagement most students have experienced in mathematics when learning foundational skills at the elementary school level. While there are a number of studies that have described teacher perceptions of engagement through the use of technology during the school day,…

In today's society, the use technology is no longer a luxury but a need (Machado-Casas, 2009; Sanchez, 2010). Considering this, countless education stakeholders have explored the concept of the "digital divide", the gap that exists between people who have access to digital technology and those who do not. Oftentimes, this divide exists…

The Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation are proud to celebrate a fifth round of the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards. For the past five years, we have collaborated to highlight the work of quality afterschool programs that support children, families and communities across the nation. This compendium is a compilation of four…

As Taiwan's full-scale e-learning initiatives moved to the seventh year in 2009, the current status and challenges of e-learning development there are yet to be fully understood. Further extending Zhang and Hung's (2006) investigation on e-learning in all universities and colleges in Taiwan, this study investigated the after-school programs (ASPs)…

This article presents the results of a three-year study of "Gamestar Mechanic" (www.gamestarmechanic.com), a flash-based multiplayer online role-playing game developed for the MacArthur Foundation's digital media learning initiative by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Gamelab in New York. The game's objective is to help children…

This "First Teachers" training manual details a research-based and field-tested program in which elementary school children and their families create a family portfolio album of their stories and drawings that becomes a family keepsake. The manual provides information on the goals of the program and its intended audience, and the need for schools…

In 1994, the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund made a commitment to school-age care by launching the MOST Initiative--a $6.5 million, multi-year project aimed at systemic community-based change to improve the quality and availability of out-of-school time for children in three cities: Boston, Chicago, and Seattle. The MOST Initiative was…

This project, "First Teachers," studied urban African-American families' perceptions of an after school involvement program which incorporates family storytelling and writing using computers. The project also examined the development and maintenance of university partnerships with inner-city school families, families' interaction and…