Susan Ingalls, the Founder and Executive Director of Children & the Classics--a New York City agency that offers technical assistance, arts resources, and direct programming to more than two dozen Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in New York City--describes her experience of sitting in on various meetings where the topic of conversation…

With support from the William T. Grant Foundation, Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) is conducting a research study on the factors associated with whether children and youth participate in out-of-school time (OST) programs and activities. Building on our previous work, we are using national data to examine the many factors and contexts in…

Describes the Voyager Program, a national educational initiative supporting elementary schools and teachers by providing essential supplies and a research-based curriculum. Reviews the role of selected community colleges in providing support for summer and after-school programs. (JDI)

This report provides information about the use of extended time strategies by local Chapter 1 programs and offers practical guidance for district and school staff who are considering adoption of the strategies. The report focuses on five basic strategies for extending instructional time for Chapter 1 students: (1) extended day kindergarten; (2)…

This paper reports on the evaluation of six pilot programs conducted in four Texas school districts to provide summer and after-school instruction for 2,084 students. The programs are described in terms of commonalities--cost, morale, transportation; and differences or contrasts--scheduling, cost, student identification, program philosophy,…

Despite the importance of breakfast, summer, and after-school child nutrition programs, coverage in these programs in Massachusetts is low. This report describes the barriers facing the states School Breakfast, Summer Food Service, and After-School Snack Programs and suggests many innovative solutions and resources that program sponsors can use to…

Drawing on data gathered during a fourteen-month study of reading practices among poor and working-class girls, this essay explores the challenges of creating a responsive and critical reading pedagogy across boundaries of class. Set largely in a summer and after-school reading program for pre-teen girls, the study addressed the question of how a…

Research shows that after-school programs with structured literacy components can contribute positively to children's success in school, improvement in their reading and also in general social skills, and that successful programs involve partnerships with the community and continually expanding outreach to parents and caregivers. This program…

In 2001, in partnership with the Waterloo, Iowa school system, the R.J. McElroy Trust, Janice Freeburg-Cannon, Tri-County Head Start, Allen Health System, the University of Northern Iowa and the Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education created a special model for early childhood education that would eventually become The Freeburg School.…

A proposal for a personal adjustment program for visually handicapped students is described to contain three primary components: the ongoing curriculum which encourages techniques of modification and application of the presently existing regular curriculum to the needs of the blind; the extended school program which provides out-of-school services…

Parks and recreation departments (PARDs) can help alleviate societal problems associated with at-risk youths. To better position PARD programs for reducing risky behavior, there must be scientific evidence showing their impact on youths' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The paper examines existing evaluation studies highlighting the positive…

The need for youth to be supervised and safe does not end with the school year. For this reason, summer programs like those funded by the US Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program are vital for the well-being of youth. Summer schools have traditionally served youth who are in need of remedial academic…

Describes four exemplary rural youth programs that succeed despite the common lack of transportation and leadership in rural areas. An Alabama church-based program, a Nevada program on an American Indian reservation, and a school-based network in Vermont all offer summer and after-school programs for elementary and secondary students. Texas…

Community groups, volunteers, and local businesses helped a small North Carolina town initiate many programs for at-risk youth including Head Start, DARE, after-school programs at community centers and the library, summer programs, park development, and reduced swimming pool fees. A program that informs crime victims of the status of their cases…

This booklet showcases findings from a new analysis of data from "Family Involvement in Education: A National Portrait," and provides a checklist for parents to assess their own school on issues of family involvement. The study was conducted in May and June of 1997 by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Key…