More than two years into the pandemic, individuals and institutions alike have faced significant hardships caused by COVID-19, which has had a serious impact on the health, economic stability, and overall well-being of the country. For the afterschool field, the pandemic has caused disruption to services, increased operational costs, and put…

The Wallace Foundation commissioned Research for Action and McClanahan Associates to study how out-of-school time intermediaries (OSTIs) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the role they could play in supporting communities moving forward. Citywide out-of-school time (OST) systems encompass a wide variety of afterschool and summer programs and…

In total, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) provided $122 billion in federal pandemic relief for schools and their efforts to address students' learning recovery. A lifeline for schools, this funding has allowed for critical investments, including the expansion of afterschool and summer learning opportunities. Given the opportunity ARP Elementary and…

The Summer and Afterschool Needs Assessment helps youth serving programs and organizations learn best practices and identify areas where they might benefit from guidance or support. The Needs Assessment draws from the best available evidence on what constitutes high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs and organizes these Success…

Partnerships between communities and institutions of higher education have become central ways in which post-secondary students and faculty members interact with teachers and students in community environments. These partnerships can be challenging to develop, however, particularly given the numerous and shifting priorities of both schools and…

Launched in 2011, Sprockets is a network of after-school and summer programs for youth in Saint Paul, MN. A 2006 community-engaged process resulted in a vision for out-of-school time (OST) in Saint Paul that became Sprockets. That process involved the mayor's office, Saint Paul Public Schools, community organizations and activists, local…

The Region 8 Comprehensive Center (Region 8 CC) team joined Michigan's Statewide Summer Learning Network (SSLN) to provide support in furthering the goals of increased access, participation, and quality for summer learning and enrichment opportunities. The team's initial work for the SSLN was a series of listening sessions with representatives…

Out-of-school programs can offer personalized and meaningful learning experiences that deepen students' knowledge and cater to their passions and interests, but it has been a painful reality that many such programs have been available only to students and families with privilege and resources. Karen Hammerness, Anna MacPherson, Preeti Gupta,…

Sprockets collaborated with Wilder Research to conduct Journey Mapping sessions with its network partner organizations to learn more about the experiences they have had with Sprockets and to hear from them about future hopes for Sprockets. Information gathered is intended to inform Sprockets' continuous improvement efforts in providing effective…

The Denver Afterschool Alliance (DAA) is a community collaborative whose mission is to increase access to and participation in quality afterschool programs to keep Denver's youth safe, inspire them to learn and prepare them for the future. It represents a collaboration of many stakeholders, including the City and County of Denver, many…

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…

Family and Community Partnerships: Promising Practices for Teachers and Teacher Educators, offers a fresh new look at the competencies, strategies, and practices that effective educators develop to build strong partnerships with families and communities. Written by leaders in the field, the book is an outgrowth of a cutting-edge initiative led by…

As part of CRPE's ongoing exploration of learning pods, we wanted to understand cities' involvement in this new model of learning. We searched city websites to identify learning pods either operated, supported, or promoted by city agencies in the 100 largest cities in the U.S., and found: (1) About one-third (36 percent) of the largest U.S. cities…

Locally or individually, STEM programs provide additional opportunities to engage K-12 students, including those from marginalized groups, with the support of STEM outreach organizations through the co-construction and implementation of STEM activities during school, out of school, at home, and in the community. Research suggests that…

A high school diploma is no longer enough to get by in the current job market, and high-level knowledge, skills, and abilities are crucial to success especially in the fields of and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Afterschool programs are a critical component and lever to better prepare our youth for college and careers,…