We’re slowly getting back in the rhythm of things here at Beyond School, and posting a long-overdue news round-up seemed like a good way to continue ringing in the new year. So here goes.
Looking for creative ways to finance your after-school programs? Well, Chicago mayoral candidate—and former White House chief of staff—Rahm Emanuel has a fresh idea, and that would be selling advertising space on the city’s garbage trucks and other property to underwrite such programs. Learn more about his proposals here.
I also liked this piece from ElCerritoPatch in California. The column features consultant Jason Freeman, who wants to get science into more after-school programs in Oakland, Calif. His feeling is that after school is a great place to start closing the gap between children with access to more enriching learning opportunities through their families and communities and those without. Reporter Betty Buginas writes:
After-school programs shouldn't aim to mimic classroom science lessons, [Freeman] says, but to build engagement and excitement. If students are building a rubber-band-powered car out of inexpensive, common materials, he says, 'it's not the job of the after-school leaders to teach Newton's laws of motion.'... 'But they can provide students with the opportunity to follow a line of inquiry.' "
And here’s an article from Nashville where the mayor plans to expand an after-school program for middle school students. The Nashville Afterschool Zone Alliance provides free tutoring and activities. City officials and school leaders see it as a success:
“A lot of our students are becoming leaders that are involved in this after-school program where as before they may have slipped through the cracks or just become disenchanted with school all together,” Litton Middle School Assistant Principal Tracy Bruno told NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.
And, finally, something to make you smile as you head into the weekend. Check out what some after-school students in Columbus, Ohio, have been up to here.