THIS STUDY IS A REVIEW OF THE PRACTICES OF NINE REPRESENTATIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHICH HAVE EXTENDED SCHOOL DAY PROGRAMS. IT ALSO REVIEWS THE PRACTICES OF FACILITY UTILIZATION BEYOND THE STANDARD SCHOOL SCHEDULE BY SCHOOL GROUPS AND BY NON-SCHOOL GROUPS. IT PRESENTS THE CONCEPTS OF THE EXTENDED SCHOOL DAY, WEEK, AND YEAR, AND THE PURPOSES FOR THE…

Reviews several voluntary extended school day programs for elementary school children. (JB)

Children left alone to take care of themselves before and after school are called children in "self-care." Solutions to problems occurring in this situation are discussed, including steps that parent-teacher associations and schools can take. (CB)

A growing evidence base suggests that participation in out-of-school time (OST) programs can make a positive difference in the lives of young people. Researchers and practitioners assert that high quality, organized OST activities have the potential to support and promote youth development because they:(1) situate youth in safe environments; (2)…

Investigated the relationship between involvement in an after-school adapted sports program and identity formation among adolescents with physical disabilities. Participant interviews indicated that participation provided most adolescents with a heightened sense of competence and opportunities to express their true selves. It also led to decreased…

There is growing consensus that after school programs are needed to serve children of all ages. Parks and recreation departments need to recognize societal expectations and the forces driving the need for after school programs if they are to become significant players in the after school program movement. A sidebar discusses how to utilize…

A collaborative initiative to help elementary children succeed by providing them with a high-quality, enriching after-school experience was based on principles of developmentally appropriate environment, child centeredness, computer technology, and parent involvement. Preliminary evidence indicates that the program had positive effects on reading…

One of the most powerful but neglected supports for children's learning and development is family involvement both in and out of school. Over 40 years of steadily accumulating evidence show that family involvement is one of the strongest predictors of children's school success, and that families play pivotal roles in their children's cognitive,…

As schools struggle to meet federal achievement standards, after-school programs are increasingly viewed as a potential source of academic support for youth at risk of school failure. The hope among youth advocates and policymakers is that after-school programs can partially compensate for the inequities that plague the nation's schools and play a…

Evidence indicates that after-school programs are beneficial to children in the elementary school years, especially when they target more than just problem behaviors, but also focus on a wide range of positive developmental outcomes such as critical thinking, self-awareness and self-confidence (Catalano et al., 2002). The most effective programs…

Out-of-school time programs can enhance academic achievement by helping students learn outside the classroom. The purpose of this practice guide is to provide recommendations for organizing and delivering school-based out-of-school time (OST) programs to improve the academic achievement of student participants. The five recommendations in this…

Evaluation of after-school programs that are culturally and place-based and promote positive youth development among minority and indigenous youths has not been widely published. The present evaluation is the first of its kind of an after-school, youth-risk prevention program called Hui Malama O Ke Kai (HMK), that emphasizes Native Hawaiian values…

In its second year, the Tech Savvy Girls Project adopted "Teen Second Life" as a platform for interest-driven learning and designed projects and objects around themes important to them and their futures as technology-using, creative people. By using the building tools in an open-ended virtual world, they were able to pursue interests common to…

This commentary highlights the work of the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS), a collaborative of mature, city and county-wide nonprofit OST intermediaries, to develop and adopt common youth-, program- and system-level measures that are easy and cost-effective for local systems to implement. By agreeing to adopt and publicly…

The Broader, Bolder Approach to Education Task Force is made up of 62 national policy experts, with diverse political affiliations, who come from fields that include education, social welfare, health, housing, and civil rights. This article presents a shortened version of the Task Force's recently released statement on the Broader, Bolder Approach…