Innovation & Improvement
21st Century Community Learning Centers
Research and Resources on Before- and After-School Programs
The list below describes some key resources on after-school programs. The U.S. Department of Education or Illinois State Board of Education does not endorse the findings or programs that are featured at the web sites. This list is not meant to be exclusive.
All grant proposals for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program must be developed according to guidelines established in the RFP. These resources will help to support your planning.
Websites
- Academy for Educational Development – www.afterschool.org
A website designed to share practices that are working in after-school programs. Site enables users to talk and share their own practices. - The After-School Alliance--http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/
This private organization provides information and resources for after-school programs. - Benton Foundation Kids Campaign - http://sparkaction.org/
Iinformation for adults about opportunities to improve their community for children. - California After School Network http://www.afterschoolnetwork.org/publications
Access the California After School Program Quality Self-Assessment Tool, the High School Quality Self-Assessment Rubric, and the (21st CCLC) High School ASSETs program Start-up guide - Council of Chief State School Officers http://www.ccsso.org
The CCSSO's Extended Learning Project provides information on policies, practices, and strategies. - C. S. Mott Foundation - www.mott.org
As a partner of the USDE's 21st CCLC initiative the foundation awards grants in four program areas in the US and selected regions internationally. - ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology - www.thegateway.org
Web-based lesson plans, curriculum units. Browse subject and keyword lists, or search The Gateway. Retrieved records will link directly to the Internet resources they describe. - Extended Learning Time: Research and Resources - http://financeproject.org/
This resource list was developed by The Finance Project to provide policymakers, school and nonprofit leaders and afterschool providers with a select list of research that supports Expanded Learning and Extended Learning Time (ELT). The resource list includes summaries of each suggested research piece, which includes resources describing recommendations related to policy initiatives and resource allocation. For ease of use, the resources provided are divided into two meaningful sections:
- The Federation for Community Schools - http://www.ilcommunityschools.org/
Works to bring together individuals and organizations who support community schools throughout Illinois. Community schools create collaborative partnerships between schools, community based organizations, social service and health care agencies, students and parents to ensure that students have the supports and opportunities they need to excel academically. www.ilcommunityschools.org (312)629-4990 - The Finance Project -- www.financeproject.org
Technical assistance resources on financing and sustaining out-of-school time and community school initiatives. - Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) - www.ed.gov/free
Search tools. An online bulletin board for teachers and federal agencies to communicate about potential collaboration on new teaching and learning resources from 30 federal agencies. - General Services Administration -- www.afterschool.gov
Online resource for parents, teachers, after-school providers, and children to learn about after-school resources from many different government and non-profit agencies. - Harvard Family Research Project – www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp
Useful information on evaluation including: ways to evaluate after-school programs; ways to improve evaluation for practitioners, policymakers, funders and researchers.
Learning Point Associates --www.learningpt.org
Provides information for after-school programs and other educational issues. Beyond the Bell (third edition) is a valuable resource for program directors and site coordinators. Includes resources and examples of after-school programs.Specific Resources:
- Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating Effective After-School Programs -- http://www.beyondthebell.org/
Provides guidance on critical issues such as management, collaboration, programming, evaluation, and communication. 15 additional resources are included that could prove valuable to after-school planners. - Beyond the Bell Start-Up Guide -- http://www.beyondthebell.org/page_startup.php
Provides information and guidance for the early stages of planning and development. Free PDF version of the guide is available for download.
Make It Stick --www.makeitstick.org
Based on the 5 elements of the New Day for Learning vision, this program highlights changes in education that are making a difference.Maryland Out of School Time Network -- http://www.mdoutofschooltime.org
The mission of the Maryland Out of School Time Network is to build a coalition of youth, families, community members, program providers, educators, funders, and policy makers to expand funding , implement more effective policies, and support increased program quality for youth opportunities in the out of school hours.
Review Maine’s “Reaching Potential Through Quality Standards” - particularly Chapter 3 pp.16-18.Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (MCREL) --http://www.mcrel.org/
A useful compendium of examples of innovative after-school programs.The National After School Association (NAA) -- www.naaweb.org
NAA is the membership association for professionals who work with children and youth in diverse school and community-based settings to provide a wide variety of extended learning opportunities and care during out-of-school hours.The National Governors Association -- www.nga.org
Information on schools and after-school programs.National Network for Child Care (NNCC) -- www.nncc.org
Houses a database of publications and a listserv supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service.Specific Resources:
- NNCC School-Age Child Care Database, a resource that contains articles and abstracts about before- and after-school care; including not-for-profit status for school-age care programs, selecting staff, and preventing conflict.
National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at SEDL -- http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/welcome.html
Provides training and technical assistance to local and state practitioners to develop high-quality balanced programming that engages students.Specific Resources:
- Quality afterschool Programs Make a Real Difference, a brochure that describes the top five components of successful after-school programs.
- Shared Features of High Performing After-School Programs: A follow-up to the TASC Evaluation, a full report on after school.
- After School Toolkit -- http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/toolkits/
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory -- http://www.nwre..org/learns
LEARNS, a program of one of the U.S. Department of Education-funded regional education laboratories, features downloadable resources, innovative ideas for literacy practices and education-based national service projects.Specific Resources:
- Extra Learning Opportunities, a web-based publication regarding practices and recent activities in after-school programs.
- EXTRA: Quarterly publication used to disseminate information on after-school issues and practices.
- LEARNS features downloadable resources, ideas for literacy practices and education-based national service projects.
Partnership for Family Involvement in Education --
http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/partnership.html
How to join, a list of members, examples of Partner activities, a comprehensive listing of USDE publications on family and community involvement, including after-school programs.
U.S. Department of Agriculture - www.fns.usda.gov/cnd
Provides information on the after-school snack program, including eligibility and reimbursement.U.S. Department of Education (USDE) -- www.ed.gov
Information about national education issues, publications, education statistics, and information about its different offices and programs. For more about after-school programs, visit 21st Century Community Learning Centers at http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/applicant.html.
Specific Resources:- 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Providing Quality After-school Learning Opportunities for America’s Families
A publication on aspects of the 21st CCLC and a description of the initial challenges and successes of the program. - 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Monitoring Support
http://www.isbe.net/21cclc/pdf/framework_21st_cclc_eval.pdf
Evaluation Framework for 21st CCLC Programs - Bringing Education to After-school Programs helps after-school providers understand how to integrate academic content (e.g., reading and mathematics) into their programs to enhance learning.
- Information for Parents and Families:
Ideas, funding, and conferences relevant to family and community involvement in education, including after-school programs. - Keeping Schools Open as Community Learning Centers: Extended Learning in a Safe, Drug-Free Environment Before and After school is designed to help schools and community-based organizations begin their process of keeping neighborhood schools open for children and families.
- Safe and Smart: Making After-School Hours Work for Kids highlights research evidence on the potential of after-school programs to increase the safety of children, reduce their risk-taking, and improve learning.
- When Schools Stay Open Late: The National Evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers Program presents the first-year findings of a large and rigorous examination of school-based after-school programs.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- www.hhs.gov
Interesting resources are found in the section on Health and Human Child Care Programs, including the Child Care Development Fund. ListservesIn addition to websites, the following listservs may be of interest.
EDinfo
Subscribe to this news service listserv with the latest information about the U.S. Department of Education at www.ed.gov/news.html.After-school listserv
The after-school listserv, supported by the C.S. Mott Foundation, is hosted by the Academy for Educational Development. The listserv is designed to provide a forum for the exchange of information, ideas, resources, and experiences. To subscribe, send a message to ppas@aed.org.Promising Practices in Afterschool Listserv
The PPAS listserv, is hosted by AED Center for Youth Services. a community of over 2,300 afterschool, out-of-school-time, and extended learning professionals around the globe. The PPAS Listserv is a daily-moderated opportunity for you to communicate with your peers, ask questions and share resources. To subscribe visit http://www.afterschool.org/listserv. - Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating Effective After-School Programs -- http://www.beyondthebell.org/
