After-school academies
High-performing after-school programs share the goal of helping all students achieve grade-level proficiency or above. Effective after-school programs provide the following essential elements:
- Coordination with the library/media center and computer lab hours to help reinforce learning in the core classes
- Transportation arrangements so all students have access to the after-school offerings
- Training so that staff members are prepared to help students with study skills, mathematics, English language arts, and other core subjects
- Special education inclusion, materials, and trained staff
In addition, national research has identified five characteristics of effective after-school programs. The study found that effective after-school programs offer relationships and engagement as well as a focus on academic help. The most effective programs:
- Offer a broad array of enrichment opportunities.
- Provide opportunities for skill building and mastery.
- Focus on intentional relationship building.
- Have an experienced manager who is supported by a trained and supervised staff.
- Receive administrative, fiscal, and professional-development support from the sponsoring organization.1
In the Spotlight
Hilltop Middle School (Outside Source) Sweetwater Union High School District. Students who have not achieved intermediate proficiency on the CELDT (California English Language Development Test) by spring are enrolled in a 12-week after-school program to boost English language writing skills. The school staff used curriculum focusing on popular literature to help EL students gain language skills.
Reyburn Intermediate School (Outside Source) Clovis Unified School District. The After School Intervention class runs in six-week cycles and helps struggling students (including English learners and resource students) learn the skills they need to succeed in all of their academic classes. According to the teacher, struggling students need knowledge broken into “chunks.” Students take a test after each section and the teacher tracks daily and weekly progress. Results show that student scores in the after-school intervention grow after each lesson and test session.
Educators can tap a variety of resources to help them set up after school learning opportunities for students.
California Department of Education Resources
- After School Programs
- After Hours Program Chart (DOC; 41KB; 1p.) from Taking Center Stage, 2001.
- Professional Considerations: After Hours Programs
- Supplemental Educational Services (SES), Title I, Part A—Accountability. The NCLB stipulates that, under certain circumstances, students should have access to supplemental educational services, including tutoring or other supplemental academic enrichment activities beyond the regular school day. “Services are to be high quality, research-based, and designed to improve the students' academic achievement. Students are eligible for services if they are in Title I schools and (1) not meeting State Board of Education content standards in reading and mathematics and (2) from low-income families.”2
- The 21st Century Learning Centers Program provides funding for programs to focus on academic achievement, enrichment, and family literacy. Eligible entities include districts, cities, counties, and community-based organizations.
External Resources
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Tutoring and homework centers
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Saturday school
Footnotes
1Jennifer Birmingham and others, “Shared Features of High-Performing After-School Programs: A Follow-up to the Tasc Evaluation” (PDF; Outside Source), Washington, D.C.: Policy Studies Associates, Inc. Prepared for The After-School Corporation (Outside Source) and Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (Outside Source) with support from the U.S. Department of Education, November 2005, pp. i, ii.
2Supplemental Educational Services, Title I, Part A—Accountability.
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