The California Department of Education has issued a set of quality standards for expanded learning programs that include giving youth opportunities “to play a meaningful role in program design and implementation.”
A recent report from the Oakland-based nonprofit advocacy group Partnership for Children & Youth, “Getting a Head Start on the Common Core,” suggests that a number of districts are relying on summer programs to introduce and reinforce the new standards.
Los Angeles Unified’s board members approved a 180-day school year for 2014-15, postponing for at least a year member Mónica García’s proposal to extend the school year to 200 days in the nation’s second-largest school district.
Blending the regular school day and the after-school program sets apart Elmhurst Community Prep, a middle school in East Oakland that has expanded the school day for all students to 5 p.m. with a variety of after-school offerings, such as classes in robotics, music, dance and building self-confidence
A state senator and a youth advocate argue that expanded learning programs can mitigate against housing instability, a growing problem in California.