This exciting first-of-its-kind book helps after-school staff members support literacy development while staying faithful to the unique mission of being something other than "more school." The authors explain the role of after-school programs in literacy development and define aspects of literacy development. The book contains 72 fun and engaging activities for all levels of school-age readers.

This classic, which has been a standard programming book since its original publication in 1990, has been updated and revised for the 21st century! Still has all the great activities that have survived the test of time with school-age children, but with additional materials addressing the needs of middle-school students, staff recruitment and retention, quality standards and more.

The authors survey the current afterschool landscape and bring to light important issues and practices within the field, explore the challenges and opportunities facing afterschool education programs, and point to future directions for these burgeoning educational ventures. Afterschool education has grown in recent years into a vast and diverse enterprise. In the United States, young people spend almost a third of their organized time (including school hours) in afterschool and summer programs. Yet there is little clear and conclusive research on afterschool programs—research that would help guide the practice of existing afterschool programs and establish guidelines for the creation of new programs. An indispensable guide for practitioners, administrators, policy makers, and parents, Afterschool Education will serve as the cornerstone for all future accounts of and proposals for this crucial educational field.

Through a comprehensive review of various afterschool programs across the United States, this resource provides a practical overview of the research and best practices that can be easily adapted and applied in the development of highly effective afterschool programs. chapters focus on: (1) "Why Afterschool Programs?" (benefits, challenges, and functions, research methodology, types of programs, and program evaluation); (2) "Language Arts Afterschool Programs" (e.g., extended-day tutoring and the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program); (3) "Enrichment Afterschool Programs" (e.g., Hands On Science Outreach and the Imaginitis Learning System); (4) "Tutoring Programs to Improve Reading and Study Skills Programs" (e.g., Book Buddies and Early Identification Programs); (5) "Community-Based Afterschool Programs" (e.g., Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Police Athletic League); (6) "How to Create an Afterschool Program: From Conception to Implementation" (e.g., assessing the situation, creating the components, and training the service providers); (7) "Evaluation" (e.g., why evaluation is important, effective evaluations, and creating a solid evaluation infrastructure); and (8) "Conclusions and Implications: What Works" (patterns of success among the programs and barriers to participation). A list of resources is included. (Contains 143 references.) (SM)

This report summarizes the presentations and discussion at a workshop entitled Opportunities to Promote Child and Adolescent Development During the After-School Hours, convened on October 21, 1999. The workshop was organized by the Board on Children, Youth, and Families and its Forum on Adolescence of the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, with funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. This workshop brought together policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to examine research on the developmental needs of children and adolescentsâ€"ages 5 to 14 yearsâ€"and the types of after-school programs designed to promote the health and development of these young people. Intended to provide a forum for discussion among the various stakeholders, the workshop did not generate conclusions about the types of programs that are most effective, nor did it generate specific recommendations about after-school programs or promote a particular approach. The workshop coincided with release of the Packard Foundation's fall 1999 issue of The Future of Children, entitled "When School Is Out." Focusing on after-school programs, the journal provided some context for the workshop, providing a backdrop for discussing the importance of after-school programs, the types of programs that exist across the country, and the policy climate that surrounds after-school programs. This report summarizes the workshop.

Research on middle level education indicates that student learning at the middle level has a deep and abiding influence on post-secondary opportunities and career paths. As research continues to highlight the urgency of engaging middle level students in academic learning, it is increasingly clear that these students’ multiple literacies must become a part of teaching and learning. Understanding how to infuse the literacies of middle level students across classroom activities is a critical part of improving student achievement. This volume in The Handbook series shares literacy research from multiple contexts and deepens our understanding of the literacies that middle level students use in and out of school. This volume includes research that identifies how to best teach and learn with our increasingly diverse students. The perspectives that emerge from this volume help us examine the current state of new and evolving literacies and construct a cutting edge research agenda for middle level literacy education. Research reports focus on digital literacies including social networking media and games, English language learners, high stakes literacy tests and middle level learners, specifically boys, and literacy teaching and learning in middle level teacher education programs. A wide range of research methods and modes are used in these reports including case studies, teacher research, narrative inquiry, survey research, and action research.