This article takes a look at WritersCorps, a program that aims to provide opportunities for youth to discover, develop, and share their writing. The program's success depends on contracting with teaching artists who have the skills, knowledge, and heart to encourage youth to write well. All its teachers are published writers, active community…

The Government is urging teachers to engage more closely with families and is promoting the concept of the "extended" school. This article reports on the literacy strand of the Home School Knowledge Exchange (HSKE) project, directed by Professor Martin Hughes at the University of Bristol. A selection of literacy activities developed…

Since the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools have been under increased pressure to demonstrate gains in academic achievement, primarily measured through test scores. Despite school day interventions designed to improve student achievement, many schools struggle to improve these outcomes. In addition, there is growing…

"Spotlight on New Hampshire" is the fourth installment of the Afterschool Alliance's "New England After 3 PM" series, and the first to focus exclusively on afterschool in New Hampshire. "Spotlight on New Hampshire" finds an overwhelming majority of New Hampshire's education leaders say that afterschool programs…

This "Afterschool Action Kit" contains tips on what the community can do to support afterschool programs. The kit is a useful tool for parents, community members or practitioners, and gives advice on finding or starting a quality program, identifying program needs and what resources to tap for help. The kit notes that Americans agree that…

This article examines links between different measures of after-school time activity participation (5 specific activities and breadth) on youth's developmental outcomes (anxiety/depression, delinquency, and substance use) over 6 years and whether these links are moderated by neighborhood-level variables. The sample (N = 1,315) of 9- and…

After-school education programs for at-risk students are often implemented to increase academic performance and college readiness. This article explores the terms "out-of-school" and "after-school" related to college preparation programs and suggests that these programs should consider attendance, participation and intensity to impact a student's…

Formal programs covering the time young people are not in school (only 20 percent of the time) have burgeoned rapidly in the past few decades as a result of profound societal changes. Although the need of all children for out-of-school-time programs has not been met, millions of youngsters do participate in out-of-school-time programs sponsored by…

In June 2005 the British government launched the Extended Schools Agenda to complement and add value to the Every Child Matters Framework. Every Child Matters is the British approach to collect and align multiple efforts by organizations such as hospitals, schools, volunteer groups, and afterschool programs for youth up to the age of nineteen to…

The 21st century's information economy is creating more jobs that require not only a college education but also at least some expertise in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, collectively known as STEM. Across the country, schools and communities are finding that the hours after school are particularly conducive to…

Given the current emphasis on providing evidence of increased student achievement, many afterschool programs are expanding their focus to include support for students' academic growth. One of the tools the National Partnership, of which the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) is a part, has been charged by the Department of…

Harvard Family Research Project's series of Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots distills the wealth of information compiled in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database and Bibliography into a single report. Each Snapshot examines a specific aspect of out-of-school time (OST) evaluation. This Snapshot draws on information from Harvard…

In the field of school-age care, there are three organizations that have been instrumental in the development of the profession: (1) School-Age "NOTES"; (2) National Institute on Out-of-School Time; and (3) National AfterSchool Association. In recent years many new players have been effective in promoting the field. In this article, the author…

This article deals with one interesting area of Thirteen/WNET's website (www.thirteen.org), which is Students' Take, designed especially for children in after school programs. Students' Take offers students in after school programs the opportunity to publish original Web pieces covering a range of topics of special interest to them. Its…

Argues that yearbook photographs should include candid shots of audiences' reactions to school activities and provides several samples of such photography. (RB)