Majority of cities are coordinating after-school programs, survey finds

A survey released Tuesday constitute that more than than half of big cities are analogous later-school programs for youth – a new development that can aid provide admission to quality programming for all students, according to the researchers.

"Historically the after-school field has been decentralized and uncoordinated, with different types of programs – and the government agencies and private groups that fund them – operating in isolation from 1 another," according to the study on the survey. "The issue is often a lack of access to quality programs in U.S. cities, specially for those young people most in demand."

Afterwards-schoolhouse programs are seen as a style to expand learning beyond the traditional school mean solar day, providing academic support and enriching experiences, peculiarly for students from low-income families who may have limited access to easily-on learning opportunities.

"We were surprised at how many cities had coordination and, at the aforementioned fourth dimension, how few were doing it without information (on participating students) at a time when data in education is so important," said Ivan Charner of FHI 360, a global nonprofit research group based in Durham, N.C., which conducted the survey.

The survey, held in fall 2012, involved 129 cities, selected randomly, that had a population of 100,000 or larger. Fifteen cities were in California, but the researchers offered anonymity to participants so the names of the cities were non released.

Altogether, 59 percent of respondents reported that they have implemented strategies to coordinate later on-schoolhouse programs in their cities. Of those, 88 percent said they had adult and adopted quality standards, but just a third said they had a common data organisation to track children participating in the programs. The survey asked about coordination efforts during the past five years, which coincided with the recession and likely explains the dearth of data systems, according to Charner.

"It's relatively easy to put out standards," he said, "but data systems cost coin."

The Wallace Foundation, which has supported local efforts to formally coordinate and evaluate such programs, financed the survey and subsequent study.

To get more reports similar this i, click hither to sign up for EdSource's no-cost daily e-mail on latest developments in didactics.

thomasantionsuld.blogspot.com

Source: https://edsource.org/2013/survey-finds-majority-of-cities-coordinate-afterschool-programs/38732