The practice of providing children and youth with extended learning opportunities (before- and after-school, weekend, and summer) to expand their learning and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities is long standing. After-school activities can provide young people with a positive alternative to spending time on the streets or being home alone in the afternoons. There is a growing body of research evidence indicating that high-quality after-school programs can reduce risk-taking behaviors, provide positive developmental opportunities, and improve the academic performance of students, particularly those at risk of academic failure.
In recent years there has been explosive growth of comprehensive extended learning programs in many schools, districts, and states. This growth can be partially attributed to the development of challenging standards for all students, creating the need to provide additional time and opportunity for those who are struggling academically; and an increase of both parents, or single parents, working full time resulting in young people left without adult contact or supervision at home following the regular school day.
Substantial federal financial support, primarily through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, has also fueled the expansion of extended learning opportunities. Moreover, the Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), require districts to make tutoring available for eligible students attending schools not making adequate yearly progress during non-school hours. In addition to these federal efforts, many states and local districts have taken the initiative to establish and fund a wide variety of after-school opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school youth as a means of providing a safe haven for young people, improving academic achievement, improving student behavior, and reducing risk-taking behaviors.
CCSSO Projects
Since 1998 the Council of Chief State School Officers has been actively engaged in research and development activities to gain knowledge about and advocate for high-quality extended learning and development opportunities and to build state capacity in the implementation and maintenance of such programs. The Council has been actively advancing state efforts for after-school programs, particularly those that serve students attending low-performing, high-poverty schools in need of improvement. We have been investigating how high-quality extended learning programs can support standards-based reform and exploring the potential role these programs can play in increasing student academic achievement and other positive outcomes for children and youth.
Our efforts have been focused on the following key areas: " Developing profiles of high-quality after-school and summer programs that have demonstrated outcomes for students attending high-poverty schools, in order to highlight effective practices and state and local policies that support such programs " Providing support and technical assistance to state education agencies focused on implementing key federal programs authorized as part of the No Child Left Behind Act; including 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) " Working as part of the Afterschool Technical Assistance Collaborative (ATAC) to support the Mott-funded statewide afterschool networks to strengthen their capacity to improve the quality and quantity of extended learning opportunities within their states
Best Practices
Our research on extended learning programs has focused on both after-school and summer school activities in high-poverty, high-achieving schools. We developed and issued extensive school-based surveys and conducted school site visits to develop a deeper understanding of effective practices and determine the key elements of those extended learning initiatives that lead to improved academic skills, an increase in student connectedness to schools, and a reduction of risk-taking behaviors. Available reports from this work include a summary of information gleaned from 30 schools with extended learning programs and five detailed profiles of school-based after-school programs based in high-poverty schools. These reports are available on our website under publications. Our latest publication, Summer Learning Opportunities in High Poverty Schools, will be available on the website in the near future.
State Profiles
The first phase of our survey and analysis efforts of state-sponsored extended learning activities resulted in a comprehensive report profiling six state-sponsored extended learning opportunities (Extended Learning Initiatives: Opportunities and Implementation Challenges, May 2000). Each state profile provides background on their initiatives and details the administrative and funding structures; collaborative efforts among state, local, public, private, and community agencies; successful strategies; program structure; and assessment and accountability efforts. This report, published in May 2000, is available in PDF format on our website under publications.
Technical Assistance
The Council has been engaged in a number of activities to build state capacity in the implementation of high-quality extended learning and development initiatives. These include
- workshops at each of the last five High-Poverty School Initiative national meetings
- special focus at the 1999 Summer Institute of chief state school officers (Students Continually Learning: A Report of Presentations, Student Voices, and State Actions, April 2001)
- development of two trifold brochures that frame the direction of the Council's work on extended learning and student motivation
- articles in Gaining Ground, the newsletter of the High-Poverty Schools Initiative
- creation of a monthly newsletter, ELON News, to share timely information with state education agency administrators
- planning and convening audioconferences for state administrators of the 21st CCLC and SES programs that focus on key issues identified by states (coming soon)
- planning and convening key events for state education agency officials (chiefs) that emphasize the connection between high-quality ELO programs and school improvement and reform initiatives (coming soon)
21st Century Community Learning Centers Program
With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind), the administration of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program devolved from the U.S. Department of Education to the state education agency. The Council engaged in a multifaceted effort focused on building management and implementation capacity within SEAs to ensure effective and sustainable after-school programs as the 21st CCLC program transitioned to a state-administered initiative. The Council sponsored, or co-sponsored, two national working conferences (Keeping the Vision, Tampa, November 2001; Achieving the Vision, Houston, May 2002) for officials from the state education agencies to strengthen state leadership and build capacity in response to the new legislation. In addition, the Council continues to operate the Extended Learning Opportunities Network (ELON) listserv in order to share timely information, ideas, and resources with state administrators of the 21st CCLC program.
Supplemental Educational Services
Over the past three years, the Council of Chief State School Officers has consistently made efforts to support states in implementing Supplemental Educational Services (SES) and other key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). SES is a new provision under the Title I, Part A of NCLB. According to the law, low-achieving, disadvantaged students attending schools that do not make adequate yearly progress for three consecutive years (i.e., schools are in their second year of improvement) are eligible to receive supplemental educational services.
Key Council activities support to states in implementing SES:
- developed a draft list of potential SES providers (May 2002)
- developed a SEA Application Toolkit for states to adopt or adapt in designing and implementing their applications process (June 2002)
- deployed a needs assessment to determine SEA challenges and technical assistance needs focused on SES (2003)
- created a listserv for states to exchange advice, tools, and related resources; listserv is open to all state education agency members
- collaborated with the US Department of Education and the Mott Foundation to plan and convene meetings for state administrators of the 21st CCLC and SES programs
After-School Technical Assistance Collaborative
Finally, the Council is a member of the After-school Technical Assistance Collaborative (ATAC), which includes the Afterschool Alliance, Finance Project, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association, and the National League of Cities. The objectives of ATAC are to work in partnership with states
- to provide support and technical assistance in building statewide after-school advisory networks
- to improve the quality of after-school programs
- to promote the expansion of extended learning opportunities to a broad-based system for all children and youth
Summary
Our research on programs based in high-poverty schools and districts will hopefully foster a deeper understanding of the types of extended learning opportunities that can support the positive development of children and youth. Our support and technical assistance efforts are designed to not only prepare and support the state education agencies in implementing the No Child Left Behind legislation but to create substantial and sustained improvement in both the quality and number of after-school programs. We believe that this dual approach will provide essential support to states and localities in selecting and implementing the most effective policies, practices, and strategies to develop and sustain high-quality extended learning initiatives. The Council's work in the area of extended learning has been supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Project Staff
Ayeola Fortune, Project Director, 202-326-8680, ayeolaf@ccsso.org
Chiefline
