The supplemental educational services (SES) provision of No Child Left Behind introduces a federally mandated after-school tutoring intervention in schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress. This article examines market dynamics in relationship to the law's goals of expanding access to and improving the quality of after-school…

This Research Report summarizes various strategies that have been found to help struggling students succeed without having to repeat a grade. They include aligning instruction with standards, providing "early warning" assessments, multiage grouping, accelerated learning, increased professional development for teachers working with low-performing…

Teachers are coming to understand the value of using a student's interests, habits, and questions as a starting point for instruction. In this article, Skinner introduces "Teenage Addiction," a voluntary seventh-grade after-school writing/popular culture club that helped students view popular culture through a critical lens and then write about…

A TENTATIVE OUTLINE OF A 1963 PROGRAM IN THE HUMANITIES FOR ACADEMICALLY TALENTED SEVENTH-AND EIGHTH-GRADE CHILDREN TO BE HELD FOR 1 1/2 HOURS EACH SATURDAY MORNING THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR IS PRESENTED. ONLY THE TOP ONE PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS OF THE NINE PARTICIPATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE. PARTICIPANTS ARE TO BE…

SATURDAY MORNING SEMINARS ARE CONDUCTED BY EXPERTS RANGING FROM A CERAMIST, CARTOONIST, ANTHROPOLOGIST, HISTORIAN, AND JAZZ PIANIST TO A CHEMIST, JOURNALIST, AND CHOREOGRAPHER. IN ADDITION TO THE SEMINARS, A SERIES OF CONCERTS IS AVAILABLE TO ALL SCHOOLS DURING ASSEMBLIES. COMMUNITY RESOURCES POOL MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE FOR LECTURES IN THE…

Argues that there is a serious lack of research on programs for day care for school-aged children. Examines the opinions of working mothers of school-aged children and the arrangements they make for after school care. (MS)

Describes a "readathon" (using some of the walk-a-thon techniques) during which 100 students in a small, rural community read books for various periods of time to help raise money to buy books for the school reading lab. (JM)

Discusses current trends related to out-of-school environmental education programs and the current state of environmental awareness, considering the general areas of environmental work (community involvement, political education, youth participation). Indicates a dramatic increase in the number of programs and a greater appreciation and discussion…

Oregon high school band directors worked out a set of state guidelines for high school bands. The guidelines, which comprise this article, contain rationales, expectations, and recommendations concerning athletic contests, marching contests, jazz ensembles, musical shows, parades, summer activities, and performances in general. (RM)

The presence of a skilled and stable workforce in out-of-school time programs for children and youth plays a significant role in the quality and continuity of these programs and consequently, the impact they have on young people. Yet the past 2 decades have consistently revealed many obstacles to the cultivation of such a workforce. The absence of…

There are natural connections between the afterschool community and the law enforcement/crime prevention community. According to a recent report from the organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, the hours between three and six PM are the "prime time for juvenile crime." Afterschool hours are when teenagers are most likely to commit crimes, be…

Creating and sharing a common vision is a critical element for the success of afterschool programs. This tool is intended to help the growing number of new afterschool partnerships create a shared vision for their work. It contains information to educate partners on what a vision statement is and the purpose it serves; provides two alternative…

Afterschool programs provide many opportunities to engage youth in community service activities, which can teach youth valuable skills, help them realize their potential to meet community needs and foster a sense of civic responsibility. Afterschool programs also successfully recruit, train and utilize volunteers to work with youth in afterschool…

This report provides a descriptive overview of what students in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) do in their out-of-school time, based on responses to a questionnaire administered to ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders. For the past 3 years, Chapin Hall has collected information from CPS high school students on their after-school and weekend…

Research on school-age children (those between the ages of 5 and 12) indicates that an estimated 4 million regularly spend time without adult supervision. There is growing evidence that quality out-of-school opportunities matter, complementing environments created by schools and families and providing important "nutrients" that deter failure and…