As a matter of policy, 21st Century Community Learning Centers rely heavily on community organizations to provide a variety of instructional programs. In this way, 21st Century sites tap the depth and breadth of knowledge available in their communities to provide non-traditional learning experiences that can better meet young participants’ need for engagement and relevance than can a simple extension of school-day routine. However, the inclusion of multiple partners along with school-based site staff at any given 21st Century site means that the quality of instruction can be extremely uneven
This article describes Philadelphia’s systemwide approach to project-based learning. First, we review the scholarly literature to define the strategy and discuss its outcomes. Next, we describe Philadelphia’s systems approach to project-based learning in OST and outline its successes. Finally, we discuss the challenges presented by a systems approach to implementation, offering recommendations to other cities and their intermediaries that wish to implement project-based learning on a systemwide basis.
This article focuses on three approaches to STEM in out-of-school time that would be instructive for any organization seeking to develop STEM opportunities for teen girls. While Techbridge and Queens Community House focused on reaching populations most underrepresented in STEM—girls of color and those from immigrant and low-income families—the strategies they used could be applied to any population of adolescent girls.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Harriet MosatcheSusan Matloff-NievesLinda KekelisElizabeth Lawner
This paper examines "New Faces, New Places: An Introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math," a program designed to promote the formation of 4-H STEM programs to engage urban youth in science learning.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Walter BarkerEric KillianWilliam Evans
Attention to the differing developmental needs of adolescents—not only between middle school and high school but even among older and younger youth in each bracket—is the key to retention in OST programs.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Sarah DeschenesPriscilla LittleJean GrossmanAmy Arbreton
A program that teaches middle-school Latinas to program their own computer games seeks ways of overcoming the growing shortfall of both Latinos and women in IT education and careers.
This case study reveals how one community-based youth development organization in the northeastern United States advocated for social and educational equity for the low-income families it served by challenging the local school district’s practice of referring low-income children of color to special education in disproportionate numbers. Because this community-based organization (CBO) is typical of many such youth-serving organizations, the case study shows how the assets CBOs bring to their communities can help them negotiate with schools to achieve greater social and educational equity for
This article describes the keys to success of the Fresh Youth Initiatives program: the marriage of community service and social action to youth development, and a philosophy of discipline that encourages the very best behavior from program participants.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Tania OritzRodney FullerJayson GuilbeMaria TerreroLaura Myers
Recognizing that schools can’t boost STEM performance alone, policy makers and educators have called for “all hands on deck” to boost STEM achievement, ignite passions in science, and expose students to STEM career possibilities.
This study focuses on the combined role of zoos and an out-of-school-time program focused on environmental issues in influencing children’s relationship with and sense of responsibility toward animals and the environment.
This article provides findings from the TERC-based program Math off the Shelf (MotS). The first phase involved working with library-based informal educators to create interdisciplinary mathematics resources, and the second phase made the resources available to a wider group of library educators.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Marlene KlimanNuria Jaumot-PascualValerie Martin
By emphasizing work-based learning, youth programs can not only meet their youth development goals but also prepare young people for success in the knowledge economy of the 21st century.