I attended the 5th Annual PEAR conference (Program in Education, After-school and Resiliency - www.pearweb.org) that was organized by PEAR on April 27th, 2007. PEAR was established in 1999 in response to the growing recognition that a developmental approach to education and after-school programming is necessary in order to build resiliency, prevent high-risk behavior and build success in schools among youth.
One of the panels that I attended in this conference gave a very comprehensive picture of the national scene related to after-school programming. Following are some of the key points that the panelists Eric Schwarz (Citizen Schools), Dara Rose (Wallace Foundation) and Rick Weissbourd (Harvard Graduate School of Education) spoke of in this panel.
• Nationally, many after school programs have a low capacity because they are not perceived by the foundations as quality providers. However, the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) in Schools idea seems to be taking off quite a bit. In fact, Bill and Melinda Gates and Broad Foundations has Expanded learning as one of the top three things in their campaign agenda for the 2008 presidential elections. A school that incorporates expanded learning operates for additional hours than a normal school days and usually re-designs it’s curriculum to provide a more comprehensive learning experience for it’s students. Today, many low performing schools nationally are piloting ELT. Many of the non-profits providing after-school programs could potentially tap into this funding stream if they partner with the right schools.
• NCLB legislation contains big funding streams for after school programs. For example, it has funding for recent college graduates to work as fellows in after-school/expanded learning initiatives in return for a stipend or scholarships.
• One of the important things that after school programs can teach children is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Given the focus on reading and math in schools due to NCLB act, it is important that that after schools complement what is taught in schools.
• Many children could have behavioral problems due to causes like sleep deprivation, parental depression and so on. In fact, nationally these problems in 20% of the kids go undetected. It is important for both schools and after-school programs to try and engage especially at-risk kids at different levels.
• For policy change to happen, we should have more examples of success. Investing in research and evaluation is critical to prove quality. It is terribly under-funded. Intermediaries should work with the practitioners to drive systemic change.
Sounds like a great conference
Gayathri,
Sounds like a great conference. When I was in Philadelphia, I ran an after school program for a year and I would wholeheartedly agree that this part of the nonprofit sector is under-funded.
That being said, after school programs are often taking up the remedial and enrichment activities such as music and art that used to be done by public schools. A renewed national commitment to funding public education should include such activities as partnerships between the schools and the nonprofit organizations who have specialized in remedial and enrichment programs.
Afterschool programs can not solely rely on foundations and individual donors, but must receive public dollars if ever hope to make systemic impact.