As communities grapple with the harmful, inequitable effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been particularly hard on low-income and marginalized youth, renewed attention has been directed toward how out-of-school time (OST) programs can help youth reconnect and re-engage. In this article, the results of a systematic literature review on the…

This article details the development of a physical activity curriculum used in an after-school program for youths. The program, Get Fit! With Math & Lit, employed culturally relevant pedagogies as its guiding framework and the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model to structure its content. This multifaceted framework of the…

This research explored if a social robot would play a role in facilitating the development of friendship between young children while they engage in playful learning. Grounded in child-robot interaction and child development literature, we instantiated four sessions of triadic interaction activities among two children and a robot, where the robot…

Both, educators and policy makers have expressed growing concerns over the low levels of math and science achievement among American students and the decline in the numbers of young people moving into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers (Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century, 2007; National Science…

High-quality afterschool and summer learning programs are effective ways to support children and teens and accelerate their academic growth. In fact, the American Rescue Plan prioritized a significant amount of funding for out-of-school time programs because of the evidence of their effectiveness. Over the past few years, state educational…

The benefit of participating in Out-of-School Time (OST) arts programs has been widely documented in studies that often reflect impact over short timeframes. Youth arts organisations often bear extraordinary claims about the impact of programs, and the value they hold especially in the lives of those who face difficult social circumstances. This…

Although school engagement is crucial to child development, research on children with intellectual disabilities in mainstream schools is scant. This sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study examined the ways in and extent to which children with intellectual disabilities participate in mainstream school activities, as well the personal and…

This study explores the conditions that provide new opportunities for youth of color to develop civic agency, paving the way to enact change in their schools and communities. This article shares findings from a qualitative study of an after-school program designed and implemented by the authors, in which 15 middle school-aged youth--including a…

This meta-analysis explores the impact of informal science education experiences (such as after-school programs, enrichment activities, etc.) on students' attitudes towards, and interest in, STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The research addresses two primary questions: (1) What is the overall effect size of…

Objective: Although treatment research has relied upon group-based methods to understand treatment response, these methods often are unable to detect intraindividual changes in behavior. Single case designs using time series analyses, in contrast, may be ideal for examining intraindividual variability in treatment response over time. The current…

Modular therapies allow practitioners to design and deliver individualized child and adolescent psychotherapies using the elements common to multiple evidence-based treatments, but most modular therapies are derived from outpatient treatments that do not directly address academic or social impairments in schools. In three case studies conducted in…

After-school hours are critical to youths' physical, academic and social development. This time serves as an opportunity for youth to engage in academic programs, sports, positive youth development programs, arts, apprenticeships and more. These programs are common, with 56% of youths participating in sport and physical activity (PA) programs each…

After-school programs can provide important contexts for youths' development and well-being. While these programs have the potential to serve as an anchor for refugee youth, previous research cites challenges with their access and engagement with them. Drawing on the Positive Youth Development Framework, which offers a lens on how after-school…

While the importance of advocacy in TESOL has received greater attention in recent scholarship, less research has explored how English language teachers make meaning for their work as educators and advocates by acting within and beyond their official roles and responsibilities. This article explores how teachers in an after-school program…

In the midst of political attacks on public schools to prevent discussions on social injustice and Latinx youth culture, there are after-school programs that nurture Latinx youth critical consciousness and social justice activism. This study uses agencies of transformational resistance (ATR) as a framework to explore one after-school program's…