What happens when teams from 57 cities building afterschool systems gather to discuss two key system responsibilities--improving afterschool programs and using data for informed decision-making? Lots of rich discussion. This report covers a national afterschool conference held in February 2013. It details what mayors, program providers, system…

Systems building worked well for Boston's ambitious program, but the project manager tells why he thinks it won't work elsewhere. (Author)

Forces which have influenced the shifting of moral foundations and their potential influence on the field of education are explained in this paper. Two categories of systems--soft and hard--are reviewed. A system 'hardens' when the emphasis on the application of a technique becomes more important than serving the purposes for which the technique…

This paper provides local educators and policy makers with information about educational indicators and their use. It opens by briefly tracing the history of the educational indicators movement in the United States and then addresses four critical issues or questions about indicators and their use: What is an indicator and an indicator system? How…

When designing schools, one should assign space for athletic fields, arrange halls so that traffic will not disturb classrooms, separate grade levels, provide playgrounds exclusively for younger children, and provide lighting and ventilation. Unit plans should be designed so that all educational and domestic activities can be executed in the…

Although communities are making progress in establishing comprehensive systems for serving youth, they still face challenges. Enabling conditions that have allowed innovative youth councils to develop systems of youth development, education, and employment include: (1) youth opportunity grants; (2) established intermediary organizations; (3)…