Beyond School
Nora Fleming had her fingers in a variety of editorial endeavors at Education Week. She’d been an education reporter for a newspaper in California and held editorial jobs at a number of other publications and organizations. She was also a veteran of multiple out-of-school experiences—both as a participant and an employee. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: after school programs and extracurricular activities.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Getting Creative for Summer Learning
Even as some districts cut summer programs, others are launching new and creative summer initiatives, the National Summer Learning Association says.
Student Achievement
Summer Learning for Just One in Four Children
Only one in four U.S. children attend summer learning programs, according to a new analysis by the Afterschool Alliance. That means this summer that approximately 24 million schoolchildren who likely would enroll in such programs will go without.
Education
Fed-Up Teacher
A teacher who describes herself as a "sucker" wrote last week about the extra time she puts in with students before and after school (and during lunch) for no extra pay. While Laura Reasoner Jones also says in the Teacher Leaders Network piece that she loves what she does, she adds: "after more than 34 years of teaching, I have come to realize that I am a sucker—and I am very unhappy."
Student Achievement
Summer Learning for Gifted Kids
Teacher Magazine blogger Tamara Fisher has an interesting piece on summer learning opportunities for gifted kids. You can check it out here. Tamara notes that many programs offer scholarships for needy students. Earlier in the month, Tamara wrote about summertime professional-development opportunities for teachers.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Mayors Urge Support for 21st Century Centers
Forty-five mayors wrote Congress this month, urging members to continue and expand federal support for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
Education
Stimulus Spending and Expanded Learning
More budget-crunch news, this time from the Washington-based Council of the Great City Schools. "Investing Wisely and Quickly," a study the council released this week, explores how the nation's big-city school districts used federal stimulus dollars to sustain programs—including expanded-learning initiatives—and avoid firing teachers.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Cutting Out School Breakfasts?
There's been a lot of news coverage lately about possible cuts to the education budget in New Jersey. What got me about this story is its potential impact on the poorest kids in the Garden State. According to the Associated Press, Gov. Chris Christie is proposing cutting $5.5 million in state aid to nutrition programs. Advocates say the cut would mean fewer poor children would get free breakfasts at school or that the quality of school meals would suffer.
Student Achievement
Early Warning: Reading, Poverty, and Summer
Education Week has a fascinating story online today related to 4th grade reading skills and poverty. A report, "EARLY WARNING!: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters," is being released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which plans soon to unveil a 10-year initiative to ensure that more children become proficient readers by the time they leave 3rd grade.
Student Achievement
News of Note: After-School Headlines
I'm thinking about starting a new feature here on Beyond Schools—the weekly round-up of news about expanded learning. Today, I'm giving it a first shot with a short list of headlines from around the country. Again and again in recent weeks, I've seen headlines about school boards and town and city councils weighing cuts to after-school programming because of tight budgets. I've only picked up a few stories here, but they give you a sense of some of the happenings in the expanded-learning community. Feel free to add other news of note in comments. I hope to turn this into a more comprehensive feature down the line.
Education Funding
Help Wanted: 'Promise' Reviewers Sought
Federal officials are seeking peer reviewers for the Obama administration's new Promise Neighborhoods grant program.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Promoting Healthy Eating After School
Sometimes, I'm amazed by the sheer volume of federal programs with an after-school angle. Take, for instance, the National Institutes of Health's "We Can!" campaign to help 8- to 13-year-olds stay at a healthy weight.
Federal
ED Points to Research Behind Its After-School Plans
The U.S. Department of Education has released a series of reports outlining the research behind its plan for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including its proposals for serving kids after school and during the summer.
Student Achievement
Is Summer School the Key to Reform?
The National Summer Learning Association is making the case for a greater policy and funding focus on innovative summer school in the pages of Education Week this week.
Curriculum
Getting Physical After School
A new National Physical Activity Plan released this week includes recommendations for before- and after-school activities.