As California school districts implement the Common Core State Standards in English and math, more of them are looking to after-school and summer programs to help acquaint both teachers and students with the new approach to learning.
Hayward school officials, police, businesses, and churches are taking a gentle approach to reducing high truancy rates among students. The program is part of a campaign to engage the community in supporting its students as the district develops its community schools model.
In a national ranking, California is at the top in providing quality after-school programs based on the percentage of students involved, parent satisfaction and other factors, according to a survey by the Afterschool Alliance, an advocacy group for expanded learning.
ady. Summer bridge programs and other support during the summer after high school graduation can make the difference in whether graduating seniors — particularly from low-income families — who plan to go to college actually enroll. National studies show that from 10 percent to 40 percent of students, depending on the school district, who are intending to go to college never show up.
California legislators have passed a law that gives priority for federal after-school funding to schools that also have summer programs as a way to promote year-round learning. The bill also sets new quality standards for all out-of-school programs in the state.
A national summer program that grew out of the Civil Rights Movement helps low-income African-American and Latino students build their literacy skills, understand their history and become leaders in their schools and communities.
Instability — multiple homes and multiple schools — is one of the biggest obstacles to academic success for foster children. But some high school students in foster care are benefiting from one constant in their lives: a program each summer offered at a number of universities throughout the country aimed at keeping them on track academically and preparing them for college.
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform has developed a set of indicators to measure the success of expanded learning efforts that aim to improve the academic achievement of low-income students.
Data from a national poll show that a third of families with school-age children enrolled at least one child in a summer program in 2013. That is an increase from five years earlier, when only a quarter of families had enrolled their children in summer programs.
Located on the bottom floor of a housing project in one of the wealthiest counties in the country, a small after-school program is helping low-income students flourish. The program was cited as a national model by the Afterschool Alliance, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., because of its alignment with the Common Core standards.