Faced with pressures to increase test scores, held accountable for the achievement of all students, and pushed by failing public opinion schools are looking for more ways to boost student academic achievement. This has created an interest in participating in and or influencing afterschool programs. Afterschool programming has traditionally been left to community non-profit and religious affiliated organizations and there is some debate about the appropriateness and effectiveness of schools branching out into the afterschool hours.
Up until the 1990’s the Federal government was happy to leave the responsibility for student care during after school hours to organizations like the Boy Scouts and the YMCA. However, as more families became two income households, leaving their children unattended after school, and research on the effectiveness of crime prevention programs became available the government's interest in afterschool programing was peaked. In 1994, Georgia created a state-wide initiative for students K-9th grade called the 3:00 project.(Gaye, 2004) This project was followed by other states with similar initiatives and momentum and interest eventually lead to programs for afterschool supported at the federal level. In 2007 $2.5 Billion dollars was spent on approx. 2,000 federally funded afterschool programs called 21st Century Community Learning Centers. This funding was passed as part of the Bush Administration’s No Child Left Behind legislation and was aimed at focusing attention on the potential of afterschool programs to dramatically affect the in-school performance of students who regularly attend afterschool programs.
As schools have felt more pressure to raise performance standards they have begun looking for ways to extend learning time for students into the afterschool hours. The pressure of standardized testing and the passing of No Child Left Behind has begun to change attitudes among educators and school administrators about the role afterschool programs can play in boosting a student’s educational performance. No longer are they looking at afterschool programs as places for students to “play”, but as places where the learning taking place during the school day can be extended. “School leaders can no longer see their responsibility as merely a 9 to 3 issue. What happens to children after school has a direct impact on how they learn and grow.” (Paul D. Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, 2005).
While the interest and funding by the federal government has brought much needed attention to afterschool programs there are some concerns about letting the department of education set the agenda for what quality afterschool programs look like.
References
Carver, P.R., and Iruka, I.U. (2006). After-School Programs and Activities: 2005 (NCES 2006-076).U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Gayl, C. L., (2004). After-School Programs: Expanding Access and Ensuring Quality. Washington, DC: Progressive Policy Institute.
Tab, E.D. (2006). National Household Education Surveys Program of 2005 After-School Programs and Activities: 2005. U.S. Department of Education NCES 2006-076.
U.S. Department of Education. DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM GRANTEES, 2003.
http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/CCLC/allstate_cclc1.cfm
U.S. Department of Education. 21st Century Community Learning Centers. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/performance.html
"Afterschool programming has traditionally been left to community non-profit and religious affiliated organizations"
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting to read and very appropriate given my recent commitment to CCS's Youth Tutoring Program - Summer Reading Program. I too have always associated after-school programs with community centers and religious organizations like CCS but I'm happy to see that you are making it clear that there is a need for the government to recognize the need for these programs beyond what can be provided by outside resources. My concern, however, is that with government involvement would come more regulation and I feel that one of the beauties of after-school programs is that there's a lot more room for non/less-structured learning which makes after-school programs more inviting for students...excellent grassroots learning opportunities.