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Internet Sites:

• Before- and After-School Care, Programs, and Activities of Children in Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade: 2001 (April 2004)
“This report provides insight into the complex and varied ways kindergarten through eighth graders in the nation spend their time out of school.” Produced by the National Center for Education Statistics.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/2004008.pdf

• The Effectiveness of Out-of-School-Time Strategies in Assisting Low-Achieving Students in Reading and Mathematics: A Research Synthesis
“Synthesis of research findings on effective out-of-school-time (OST) strategies to assist low-achieving students in reading and mathematics.” Produced by the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/SchoolImprovementReform/5032RR_RSOSTeffectiveness.pdf

• Multiple Choices After School: Findings from the Extended-Service Schools Initiative
With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in January 2002, the issue of afterschool programming will be on the minds and the agendas of more people than ever before. With this opportunity will come the need to make many decisions about the goals, design and content of the after-school programming, decisions that will influence which children and youth participate, what they experience and how they may benefit. This report aims to put policymakers and program operators on firmer ground as they make these decisions by sharing lessons learned about the design and content of existing school-based, after-school programs.
http://www.ppv.org/content/reports/ess-multi-full.html

• Critical Hours: Afterschool Programs and Educational Success (2003)
This report is “intended to serve as a resource to anyone interested in knowing why and how afterschool programs work, stimulate dialogue among parents, educators, policymakers, and public officials and help providers think about ways to improve their program models.”
http://www.nmefdn.org/CriticalHours.htm

• Does Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time Activities Make a Difference?
This report integrates findings from academic research and program evaluations to provide a comprehensive look at the relationship between participation in out-of-school time (OST) activities and positive youth outcomes, and points to new directions for OST research and evaluation.
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue21/theory.html

• When Schools Stay Open Late: The National Evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers Program (2003)
“This study, conducted for the U.S. Department of Education with support for additional data collection and analysis from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, presents the first-year findings of the largest and most rigorous examination to date of school-based after-school programs.”
http://www.mathematica-mpr.com./PDFs/whenschools.pdf

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers
The 21st CCLC Program is a key component of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. It is an opportunity for students and their families to continue to learn new skills and discover new abilities after the school day has ended.
http://www.ed.gov/21stcclc/

• Afterschool.gov
This site is meant to connect users with federal resources to support youth during out-of-school hours. Includes information on finding federal dollars, building strong programs, government publications, and national clearinghouses.
http://www.afterschool.gov/

• Principals and After-School Programs: A Survey of K-8 Principals
“The survey, funded by a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, examined the existence, characteristics, successes, and challenges of after-school programs across the country, and asked principals how NAESP could help them initiate, improve, or expand programs.”
http://www.naesp.org/afterschool/survey.htm

• After-School Programs: Keeping Children Safe and Smart (June 2000)
After-school programs provide a wide array of benefits to children, their families, schools, and the whole community. This report, jointly authored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, focuses exclusively on the benefits children receive in terms of increased safety, reduced risk-taking, and improved learning.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/afterschool/index.html

• Afterschool Action Kit
A useful tool for parents, community members or practitioners, this Kit (available in English or Spanish) gives advice on finding or starting a quality program, identifying program needs and what resources to tap for help. (Requires free Adobe Acrobat reader to download from this page; the kit may be ordered by calling 866 KIDS TODAY)
http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/action_kit.cfm

• What Makes a Good Afterschool Program?
This article is from the March 2001 Monitor on Psychology, a publication of the American Psychological Association.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar01/afterschool.html

• After-School Programs: Good for Kids, Good for Communities (January 1999)
This booklet offers a brief overview of the research on after-school programs, examines ideas for implementing a program, and profiles several sites. Provided by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
http://www.nwrel.org/request/jan99/index.html

• When School is Out (Fall 1999)
“The articles in this journal issue explain the roots of the new consensus that after-school programs are important and examine the programs that exist and that are being created across the United States.”
http://www.futureofchildren.org/pubs-info2825/pubs-info.htm?doc_id=71873

• Financing and Sustaining Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives
A collection of resources on financial strategies to support out-of-school time programs. Provided by The Finance Project, with support from Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds (WRDF) and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/ost/

• Strengthening Connections Between Schools and After-School Programs
Looks at 16 different characteristics of program planning and includes samples of policies and strategies gathered from programs across the nation.
http://www.ncrel.org/21stcclc/connect/

• Out-of-School Time Programs
A collection of resources for anyone planning a new program or working with an established one.
http://www.nwrel.org/cfc/newsletters/vol1_is4.asp

• ERIC Digest – Urban After-School Programs: Evaluations and Recommendations (1998)
http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed425263.html

• ERIC Digest – Enriching Children’s Out-of-School Time (1999)
http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed429737.html
 

Organizations:

• Afterschool Alliance
P.O. Box 65166
Washington, DC 20035-5166
Phone: (202) 296-9378
http://www.afterschoolalliance.org

• YouthLearn
Resources and tools for integrating technology into out of school programs.
Morino Institute
11600 Sunrise Valley Drive
Suite 300
Reston, VA 20191
Email: vvrana@morino.org
http://www.youthlearn.org

• National Institute on Out-of-School Time
Center for Research On Women
Part of The Wellesley Centers for Women,
Wellesley College, 106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
Phone: (781) 283-2547
email: niost@wellesley.edu
http://www.niost.org/