Deeper_Dive_into_Afterschool

High quality staffStaff education and experience factor highly into the quality of afterschool programs. Multipleevaluations by Policy Studies Associates, Inc. found positive correlations between theexperience of program staff and student outcomes. For example, student participants sawacademic gains in both reading and math when the afterschool program coordinator had ateaching certification and when an education specialist was on staff. 69 A 2011 report thatreviewed quality afterschool programs found that the programs primarily employed staff with ahigh educational background and with significant experience in the afterschool field. Morethan 7 in 10 program staff had a bachelor’s degree or higher (47 percent bachelor’s degree, 24percent master’s degree). 70 The report also found that two-thirds of staff had more than threeyears of afterschool work experience and close to 1 in 4 staff has six years of experience ormore. 71 Similarly, in another review of high-quality programs, researchers found that programdirectors and activity leaders were often well-educated and had ample experience working withyouth. 72Effective PartnershipsCommunities, families and schools are valuable assets, each one bringing unique, yetcomplementary resources that benefit afterschool programs. Afterschool programs thatrecognize the value of strong partnerships and nurture and develop meaningful relationshipscan leverage the resources that spring from these partnerships.School partnershipsWhen a dialogue and culture of sharing is established between a student’s school and his or herafterschool program, that program is better able to align its programming and tailor itscurriculum to complement the learning that takes place during the school day. Programs canuse their partnerships with schools to help improve their students’ academic performance bybuilding on students’ school-day lessons, deliver resources more efficiently—gaining insightfrom schools and school staff to target students who are most in need of help—and leverageschool day staff’s expertise to enhance program content and delivery.The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has examined the evidence implicating theimportant role positive relationships between schools and afterschool programs can play. HFRPincludes partnering with schools as a practice that can lead to improved student engagement inschool and positive attitudes toward school, smarter targeting of resources, and additionalsupport for the afterschool program and program staff in their 2008 brief, “After SchoolPrograms in the 21 st Century - Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It,” 73 and their 2010paper, “Partnerships for Learning: Promising Practices in Integrating School and Out-of-SchoolTime Program Supports.” 74 A 2011 Policy Studies Associates, Inc. report also reveals thebenefits that stem from strong relationships between schools and afterschool programs,providing examples from interviews with programs that were a part of the New York City DYCDOut-of-School Time Programs for Youth initiative. 75 Additionally, a review of quality afterschoolprograms found that partnerships between schools and afterschool programs were related to20