Blurring the Lines for Learning: The Role of Out-of-School Programs as

1. Blurring the Lines for Learning:The Role of Out-of-School Programs as Complements to Formal Learning The Forum for Youth Investment Karen Pittman, Executive Director Harvard University, Graduate School of Education October 3, 2003

2. Framing the Challenge

3. What We Know • Young people need and deserve supports • throughout their waking hours. • Young people deserve early and sustained • investments throughout the first two • decades of life. • Young people need investments to help • them achieve a broad range of outcomes.

4. What We Know • The progress young people make is directly correlated with the quality and quantity of supports, servicesand opportunities they are offered. • These supports are offered not just by families and schools, but by the full range of organizations and individuals who touch children and youth’s lives.

5. What learning needs to happen ? • Cognitive • Social/Emotional • Physical • Cultural • Civic • Vocational • Moral/Spiritual ?

6. National Research Council:Personal and Social Assets that Facilitate Youth Development • Physical development • health habits, risk management skills • Intellectual development • e.g. life skills, vocational skills, school success, critical thinking, decision-making, navigation • Psychological and emotional development • e.g.good mental health, positive self-regard, self-regulation, coping skills, autonomy, time use • Social development • connectedness, sense of place, attachment to pro-social institutions, navigate cultural contexts, commitment to civic engagement

7. Challenge for All Youth Investors:How Do We Fill the Developmental White Space? Outcome Areas Ages Times of Day • prevention to participation • cognitive, social, civic, physical

8. Who is Responsible for the Rest? • Families • Peer groups • Schools and Training Organizations • Youth-serving organizations • CBOs (Non-profit service providers and associations) • Businesses (jobs, internships, apprenticeships) • Faith-Based organizations • Libraries, Parks, Recreation Departments • Community-based Health and Social Service Agencies ?

9. Where and when does learning really happen? WHERE? In the Community In the School Building During the School Day WHEN Out of School

10. Where and when does learning really happen? WHERE? In the Community In the School Building Libraries, Museums, Colleges, Businesses During the School Day School Classrooms & Spaces WHEN Families, CBOs, Faith, Parks & Rec, Community Centers School Buildings, Community Schools Out of School

11. Common Assumptions about Learning and Settings WHERE? In the Community In the School Building During the School Day Formal Learning EnrichedLearning WHEN Informal&AppliedLearning Extended Learning/ After School Out of School

12. What Happens After School? WHERE? In the Community In the School Building During the School Day Remediation? Enrichment? Supervision? Engagement? Formal Learning EnrichedLearning WHEN Informal&AppliedLearning ?? Out of School

13. How does learning best happen? There is increasing evidence that the characteristics of good learning environments are the same across the range of settings where learning happens. WHERE? In the Community In the School Building During the School Day Formal Learning WHEN EnrichedLearning Out of School Informal&AppliedLearning

14. Physical and psychological safety Appropriate structure Supportive relationships Opportunities to belong Positive social norms Support for efficacy and mattering Opportunities for skill-building Integrationof family, school and community efforts NRC Features of Positive Developmental Settings

15. Calling the Question

16. What do we mean by academic achievement? Academic • Core Skills • Higher Order Skills • Content Knowledge Achievement • Motivation • Progress • Competence ?

17. The Impact of After-School Programs on In-School Indicators Academic Achievement After-school programs Participation in School Engagement in Learning “If you want academic effects, you probably have to have academic content” – Karen Walker, Public/Private Ventures

18. Strategies for Infusing Academic Content • Extended (explicit content, traditional delivery) • Explicit (explicit content, innovative delivery) • Embedded (embedded content, innovative delivery) • Enrichment (authentic content, innovative delivery)

19. Learning in Context: Looking at the big picture

20. 21st Century Skills, Content, Contexts • Core skills – reading, writing, computation • 21st century skills – technology, problem-solving • Personal interest – playing an instrument, etc. • Core content – geography, history, literature • 21st century skills – civic, financial, global awareness • Core context – school-based acquisition • 21st context – community-based applications

23. Opportunities to Blur the Lines • Curricula and Instructional Aids • Professional Development • Content Alignment • Community Schools • Bridging Staff (building and system level)

24. Shared Funding: Funding for Academic Support by Department (San Fran)

25. “Enrichment” funding by Department (San Francisco)

26. Filling the White Space “ Schools are clearly under the gun to show kids are doing better academically. But many believe, including teachers and principals, that the function of after-school programs should be to provide activities kids aren’t getting elsewhere.” • Karen Walker, P/PV