Out-of-School Time

In this commentary, we compile lessons learned about building quality improvement systems for OST programs, based on emerging research and increasing activity in the field. We also take readers to two places – the state of Michigan and the city of Chicago – where implementation of this model is underway with promising results.

This commentary takes readers on a cross-country tour of after-school innovation – from northern and southern California to Chicago, New York and New Hampshire. In On the Ground we describe two very different school-based models in California.

After-school programs can have a positive impact on academic, social and emotional outcomes. Not all programs do, however, which makes quality a top priority for practice and policy. At Making a Difference in After School - Measuring and Improving After School Quality, Nicole Yohalem and Bob Granger of the William T.

Nicole Yohalem will discuss the relationship between outcomes and measures of quality and describe characteristics of quality assessment and improvement systems in an upcoming Afterschool Investments webinar: Systems Building Challenges for Afterschool Initiatives: Developing Common Measures of Quality, Thursday, February 19 from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm EST.

On October 20-21, Nicole Yohalem presented four workshops at The Bridge From School to Afterschool and Back Conference, sponsored by School's Out Washington. Nicole's sessions focused on Assessing and Improving Youth Program Quality.

The Forum's OST Policy Commentary series is back! In this issue we discuss the implications of recent research led by Bart Hirsch, Reed Larson and Charles Smith. Each study helps deepen our understanding of youth work practice and can inform policy strategies aimed at developing a strong, stable, committed and prepared OST workforce.

On September 21, the Forum brought together several national experts to address key questions around the connections between the high school reform and after-school movements.