This paper provides a summary of a comprehensive evaluation of the Kentucky statewide Extended School Services (ESS) program. The Extended School Services (ESS) program was established in 1990 as part of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Designed specifically to address the needs of Kentucky's at-risk student population, ESS is an…

Reports a study of male college freshmen majoring in physical education indicating that as high school students they tended to participate in team activities, but when asked what they were interested in learning as new activities, they preferred the individual activities that could be participated in during later years. (TO)

Describes the Alternative School in the Gwinnett County School System, Lawrenceville, Georgia, as an optional program teaching appropriate behavior and better study habits to chronically disruptive students. (JW)

The Activities Person (AP) may have many different titles, but the responsibility for management of the school's activity program is the primary duty. The responsibilities of this role are identified. (Author/MLF)

Introduces the special issue by providing information on what community learning centers and after-school programs provide, what impact they have on youth and their communities, the outlook for continued funding, and the relationship between after-school programs and community education. (Contains 20 references.) (JOW)

Describes benefits of an after-school mentorship program involving students in a teacher-education course at Minnesota State University and low-income youths between 9 and 13 years of age in the surrounding community of Moorhead, Minnesota. (Contains 17 references.) (PKP)

The effectiveness of study support centers for underachieving youth, established in British professional football clubs, was evaluated with data from 1,257 participants and 219 controls. Multilevel outcomes analysis demonstrated clear gains from participation, a great deal in numeracy and technology skills, somewhat less in reading, study skills,…

Describes work by The After-School Corporation in New York to support community-based organizations to run after-school programs. Provides examples of these programs in P.S. 106 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, that focuses on academic achievement, and the Family Academy in East Harlem that focuses on enrichment. Suggests several ways other urban school…

Discusses the need to improve child care situations and suggests an intergenerational intervention as a solution. Describes successful models such as"Foster Grandparents." (JOW)

Discusses what it means to be a caring stakeholder and a participatory evaluator in the context of public and private domains using the example of a parent who is an evaluator of an afterschool program. Offers a perspective on the capacity of individual evaluators to deal with role strain. (SLD)

The role of homework needs to be considered within the context of the broader developmental needs of children. This article focuses on how children spend their time after school and how homework, as well as other activities, can contribute to school success. Children differ in their after-school experiences, from "latchkey" children who lack…

AASA began an inquiry in 2001 to understand how barriers to effective after-school programs could be overcome by school district leaders. The issue, well-known anecdotally, had not to date been researched. School leaders tend to agree that after-school programs are sound educationally but struggle to operate and sustain such programs.…

The authors believe that artists illuminate the human condition--the politics, the social climate, the economics of current thought, and the emotions behind it all. Artists participate in revealing truth. And truth illuminates the path away from fear. In their effort to celebrate and challenge the power of Teaching Artists and prepare the world…

In these days where "accountability" is the byword, organizations more and more frequently seek to evaluate their programs. They often hire outside evaluators to help them assess the effectiveness of their programs, to find out what works and what doesn't, and to determine what programmatic changes would be beneficial. ActKnowledge, a…

This brief discusses diet, exercise, body image, and weight and also provides information for practitioners on how to measure these factors among youth in their program. It summarizes (1) what it means to be overweight; (2) what are body image and eating disorders; (3) what to do if you suspect that someone in your program is suffering from an…