Summarizes 10 recent ERIC documents concerning the development and education of young adolescents. Issues covered in these documents include the definition of adolescence and adolescence in relation to sexual, physical, cognitive, and social development, family life, after-school needs, risk-taking behavior, educational needs, and teacher…

Nature's Classroom (Southbridge, MA), which provides field experiences, academic classes, and activities in the natural sciences, has been recognized as an outstanding program by the National Science Teachers Association's Search for Excellence in Science Education project. Various program activities (including building a geodesic dome) are…

Student-led crime prevention programs are becoming increasingly popular in elementary, middle, and high schools. These programs give young people the opportunity to take the lead in making their schools safer and to work collaboratively with adults. Proponents of such programs assert that they make schools and surrounding communities safer and…

This document is comprised of 7 issues of a newsletter for the 25 leaders of citywide after-school initiatives in major cities across the United States who comprise the Cross-Cities Network for Leaders of Citywide After-School Initiatives, funded through the National Institute on Out-of-School Time. Each issue of the newsletter provides…

In the present research we examined variations in the after-school experience of young adolescents as a function of family background characteristics and the extent to which after-school activities were associated with behavioral adjustment at school. After-school time use was assessed through telephone interviews with 438 young adolescents…

The past five years have seen a ground swell in public attention and public policy aimed at increasing the availability of after-school programs for children and young teens during the "risk" hours when safety, supervision and homework are a top concern. Popularly called "after-school," these programs represent a new and growing variation on the…

A loosely connected set of providers, clients, sponsors, and intermediaries make up the local markets referred to as the out-of-school-time (OST) field. This field and the actors in it have been evolving in response to shifts in the economy, the growing demand for services associated with increased numbers of working mothers in the labor force,…

The need for youth to be supervised and safe does not end with the school year. For this reason, summer programs like those funded by the US Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program are vital for the well-being of youth. Summer schools have traditionally served youth who are in need of remedial academic…

Building of character and promoting positive behavior is an important part of every afterschool program. Besides the basics of homework help and physical fitness activities, afterschool programs are using teamwork exercises, service learning, volunteerism and other activities to teach kids about making the right decisions that will help them…

We report the findings of an empirical analysis of the performance of a group of middle and high school students before and after an after-school algebra enrichment program using the SimCalc software incorporating classroom networks. The results highlight statistically significant gains in their learning and briefly outline contributing factors of…

With increasing numbers of parents at work or in training and education programs when children get out of school, the existence and quality of school-age child care (SACC) affects not only families, but the community as a whole. Texas school district involvement with SACC was examined, and qualities of model programs and barriers to developing…

A practicum project implemented a developmentally appropriate intervention to increase school success for at-risk children in kindergarten through grade 3. Two corollary aims of the project were to determine the causes of at-risk status before retention or school failure occurs, and to involve parents in their children's educational process. An…

This brief is part of a series of technical assistance resources on financing and sustaining out-of-school time and community school initiatives. The brief presents general background information and strategies for maximizing Medicaid funding for such programs and highlights examples of innovative projects throughout the country. The financing…

This document consists of the three 1999 issues of a journal highlighting the Making After-School Count Initiative, programs across the country wherein communities and schools cooperate to serve children during after-school hours. The February 1999 issue describes grassroots efforts by California parents and religious leaders to secure funding for…

Afterschool programs enable inner city public schools to plan, implement, or expand projects that benefit the educational, health, social services, cultural, and recreational needs of the community. This study investigated the impact of afterschool programs on various non-cognitive and cognitive measures (e.g., attendance, suspensions, and grade…