STEM Outcomes for Youth in Afterschool Programs

The Afterschool Alliance recently concluded a 10-month study, "Defining Youth Outcomes for STEM Learning in Afterschool." In the study, a panel of expert afterschool providers and supporters were asked to identify appropriate and feasible outcomes for STEM education in afterschool settings.

Coalition Director Carol Tang and Steering Committee member Gabe Lyon of Project Exploration served on the advisory board for this report.

Watch Anita Krishnamurthi, director of STEM policy for the Afterschool Alliance discuss the report, joined by Ron Ottinger, executive director of the Noyce Foundation, and Mark Greenlaw, VP for sustainability and education affairs at Cognizant.

The big picture consensus among panel experts interviewed is that afterschool programs support young people to:

• enjoy STEM learning
• feel capable learning STEM
• want to do more STEM learning

There are a number of more concrete indicators that afterschool professionals can look for to see if young people demonstrate progress towards those outcomes.  Panel experts ranked these in order of what they felt afterschool programs are best positioned to accomplish.  They reported that afterschool is best positioned to support young people's:

1. Active participation in STEM learning opportunities
2. Curiosity about STEM topics, concepts or practices
3. Ability to productively engage in STEM processes of investigation
4. Awareness of STEM professions
5. Ability to exercise STEM-relevant life and career skills
6. Understanding the value of STEM in society
   

One of the implications of the report is that afterschool is well positioned to support the 'doing' science and STEM.  Another implication of the study is that afterschool is well positioned to support realistic scenarios of how science is actually performed in the field, as afterschool is a learning environment suited for collaborative group work and other 21st century skills.

Panelists were also asked if they believed there are assessment tools to document the kinds of impacts they felt confident delivering.  While the funder group reported that yes, assessment tools are available, the practitioner group reported no, they don't have access to assessment tools.  In the video above, Anita offers a possible explanation of this result which is that practitioners may be aware of assessment tools for STEM in afterschool, but those tools may not be effective for one reason or another.

This report offers a great foundation for further conversation about outcomes of STEM learning in afterschool and we look forward to hearing what you think!

#BackToSTEM Twitter chat August 15!

Are you ready to start fresh this fall with great STEM activities in your after school program?

The Coalition for Science After School will host a Twitter chat Wednesday August 15 at 12PDT/3EDT about getting ready to start a new school year - and a new year of after school -  full of programs rich in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).  

During this conversation, you will have the opportunity to share your tips for getting kids excited about science, discuss strategies for incorporating science into other after school activities, and learn about STEM resources and best practices in after school science education.

The chat will be co-hosted by The Coalition for Science After School (@sciafterschool), The National Girls Collaborative Project (@NGCProject), The New York Academy of Sciences (@NYASK12), and The Afterschool Alliance (@Afterschool4All).  

Featured Tweeters joining us will be other special guests from community organizations who are bringing STEM into learning experiences, including the Partnership for Youth Development (@NOLAYouthDev), the Executive Director of the National Afterschool Association Gina Warner (@NatAfterSchool), and the Director of the Coalition for Science After School Carol Tang (@CarolTang1).

To join the chat and see what others are saying:

1. Go to tweetchat.com and search for the hashtag #BackToSTEM.
2. You do not need a Twitter account to follow the chat, but you do need one to comment or ask questions. If you need to set up a twitter account, you can sign up at http://www.twitter.com. It’s free to join and only takes a minute.
3. To join the discussion, sign into TweetChat using your Twitter account and enter your tweets in the box at the top of the page. TweetChat automatically includes the hashtag for you.
4. Each tweet is limited to 140 characters (including the hashtag #BacktoSTEM) but feel free to multiple tweets to pose a question or respond to a comment.

The Coalition's Twitter handle is @sciafterschool.  Feel free to submit questions in advance, either by sending us a message on Twitter or emailing them to sarah.elovich@berkeley.edu. 

Looking forward to seeing you on the chat!

6 Ways to Advocate for STEM After School!

I'm very excited to attend The Afterschool for All Challenge this week on Capitol Hill.  The Challenge is an opportunity for community leaders, advocates, educators and after school program experts to meet elected officials and discuss the important issues in after school.  Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, the Challenge features an entire day of in-depth advocacy training, the annual "Breakfast of Champions" honoring state and national Afterschool Champions, federal policy briefings, and workshops on trending topics including STEM and Digital Learning.

We are thrilled that the Challenge will recognize a Coalition Steering Committee Member at the Breakfast of Champions: Gabrielle Lyon, co-founder of Project Exploration, will be honored along with her co-founder palentologist Paul Sereno.


Even if you are thousands of miles away from Washington DC, you can still add your voice and advocate for after school!
- Sign the Afterschool Alliance's online petition
- Send a personal leter to Congress to support Federal 21st CCLC Funding for Afterschool & Summer programs
- Ask your member of Congress to join the Afterschool Caucus
- Keep up with all of the latest advocacy news through the Afterschool Alliance 
- Read the latest research about the importance of after school programs

- Send the Coalition your story about impacting youth through quality after school education so that we may share it with elected officials on your behalf at the Afterschool for All Challenge

I am honored to advocate on behalf of the Coalition's 2,500+ members nationwide who are using their talents to bring STEM learning to children of all backgrounds!  Thank you for your membership and continued support of the Coalition!

Twitter Chat about Digital Learning

The Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS) will host a Twitter chat tomorrow, Wednesday February 29, 2 PM to 3 PM EST to explore how schools and community organizations can help kids learn anytime, anywhere using digital media, mobile devices and online games. During this conversation, you will have the opportunity to share your experiences, learn best practices, and discuss how you can overcome challenges in using technology effectively in out-of-school time.

The chat will feature representatives from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS, Coalition Director Carol Tang (@SciAfterSchool), the Afterschool Alliance (@afterschool4all), and other special guests from community organizations and schools who are actively using technology to expand learning for kids.

To join the chat and see what others are saying:

1. Go to tweetchat.com and search on the hashtag #techafter3.
2. You do not need a Twitter account to follow the chat, but you do need one to comment or ask questions. If you need to set up a twitter account, you can sign up at http://www.twitter.com. It’s free to join and only takes a minute.
3. To join the discussion, sign into TweetChat using your Twitter account and enter your tweets in the box at the top of the page. TweetChat automatically includes the hashtag for you.
4. Each tweet is limited to 140 characters (including the hashtag #techafter3) but feel free to multiple tweets to pose a question or respond to a comment.

CBASS’s Twitter handle is @CBASS_National. Feel free to submit questions in advance, either by sending CBASS a message on Twitter or emailing them to emorgan@tascorp.org.

Join Us at These Upcoming Conferences & Events This Fall

One of our top priorities in the coming year is to attend conferences and events around the country to meet afterschool leaders and learn more about the latest developments in the field. Here is where we’ll be in the next month—let us know if you will be at any of these meetings and events, or suggest somewhere for us to go next!

• Association of Science & Technology Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference: We are kicking off our conference season this weekend at the ASTC conference in Baltimore, MD. Kalie will be there with the Afterschool Alliance to talk to science centers about how out-of-school time programs are an important part about science center offerings. 
• Up Your Game Pre-Conference Workshop: Later this month, we’ll be travelling to sunny San Diego, CA to host a pre-conference workshop at the Up Your Game conference. This conference focuses on older youth in afterschool, with sessions oriented towards middle school earlier in the week and high school later in the week. Our pre-conference workshop on the 31st will focus on building partnerships for afterschool STEM, with two panels on engaging volunteers and finding community resources. We will have speakers representing high-quality afterschool programs and resources, and the workshop will be a great way to share practices and learn how to integrate community partnerships to promote STEM in your afterschool program. There is still time to register for this conference, so we hope to see you there!
• National Summer Learning Conference: It may be fall, but it's still a great time to talk about summer learning! We'll be exhibiting at the National Summer Learning conference in San Francisco, CA from November 15th-16th. Summer learning is an important part of providing out-of-school time education opportunities for youth, and we look forward to connecting with many great summer programs at this event.

Keep an eye out for our Steering Committee members at other conferences and events around the country. You can also find out more about where we will be in our monthly newsletter.

STEM in Afterschool Impacts & Outcomes

The Afterschool Alliance recently released an analysis of the impacts and outcomes of STEM learning in afterschool. The report identifies evaluation studies that have been done in a wide range of afterschool programs across the country and highlights common themes, laying the foundation for future evaluation studies of STEM in afterschool.

 To find the 19 studies highlighted in the report, the Alliance cast a wide net among out-of-school time intermediaries (including the Coalition for Science After School) and program providers themselves. The report includes large national programs, (such as FIRST Robotics and the 4-H Science Initiative), statewide projects and initiatives (like After-School Math PLUS in New York and Missouri, and the Student Science Enrichment Program in North Carolina), as well as local groups (such as Project Exploration in Chicago and Techbridge in Alameda County, California).

The Alliance was able to identify three overarching themes that were examined and/or defined in the evaluation studies:

·      Improved attitudes toward STEM fields and careers

·      Increased STEM knowledge and skills

·      Higher likelihood of graduation and pursuing a STEM career

Further details of how each of the evaluation studies addresses each theme—and what the actual outcomes of each theme look like—are available in the full report.

Individual organizations can take action by conducting evaluation studies of their own programs. Evaluation studies are an excellent way for afterschool organizations and programs to identify what is and isn’t working in their program, as well as provide tangible evidence of success to funding organizations and community advocates. Afterschool programs can look for success indicators in two ways:

• Youth development outcomes:
• Increased graduate rates
• Likelihood of attending college
• Better attendance in school
• Increased community service or involvemnet
• Science and Math education outcomes:
• Higher test scores
• Demonstrated understanding of math and/or science concepts through high-quality projects and schoolwork
• Likelihood of pursuing a STEM college degree and/or career

If you’re looking for more resources on doing an evaluation study within your program, see our Assessment & Evaluation Resources page.

Afterschool, STEM, & Jobs For the Future

Afterschool learning certainly benefits youth through rich learning opportunities--but few people outside of the afterschool field may realize that afterschool programs can be a boon for local economies and communities in several ways. Earlier this week, President Barack Obama recognized the importance of afterschool education by including support for afterschool in his American Jobs Act. Jodi Grant, Coalition Steering Committee Member and Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance, wrote on the Afterschool Snack blog about why afterschool is deserving of this attention, and made a case for increasing support for afterschool.

Science, technology, engineering, and math represent an important component of afterschool learning. Investing in afterschool STEM means supporting economic growth in the United States both now and in the future. Here are some reasons why afterschool STEM is essential in supporting the current and future workforce:

• Afterschool provides a safe and enriching childcare environment for families who work outside of the home. Afterschool programs provide childcare for parents, enabling them to work full-time jobs and support their families. According to a fact sheet from the Afterschool Alliance, "decreased worker productivity related to parental concerns about after school care costs businesses up to $300 billion per year." With a record number of American families living under the poverty rate, investing in childcare opportunities is more important than ever in getting Americans back to work. 
• Afterschool and other out-of-school time programs provide jobs. Out-of-school time jobs are often seasonal and part-time, and represent rich on-the-job learning experiences for youth and students. Youth unemployment depends heavily on seasonal and part-time employment typical of afterschool direct provider positions, and unemployment during youth correlates to fewer opportunities as an adult. Investing in afterschool programs enables more students to participate in the program, necessitating hiring more afterschool providers and administrative staff.
• Early STEM learning opportunities influence choosing STEM as a college major and career. A recent survey by Microsoft yielded quite a bit of interesting information about parent and student attitudes toward STEM. About 78% of college STEM majors said they decided to study STEM in high school or earlier; about 21% said they decided in middle school. Investment in quality STEM experiences at early ages could increase the numbers of students who ultimately choose to pursue STEM careers.
• There is a pressing need for investment in the future STEM workforce. In a time when unemployment and poverty rates are increasing the US, STEM fields provide a light at the end of the tunnel. STEM jobs are projected to grow by 17% from 2008 to 2018, in contrast with non-STEM jobs, which are only expected to grow 9.8%. This view is reflected in the Microsoft survey on parent and student attitudes toward STEM, where 66% of college STEM majors reported choosing STEM for the job potential, and slightly over half of parents said STEM should be a priority "to produce next-generation innovators."

It's clear that different groups recognize the importance of both STEM and afterschool. However, in the Microsoft survey, only 24% of parents said they would be willing to spend extra money to help their children be successful in their math and science classes. Decreased funds from government and private sources have devastated afterschool programs, although the need for their presence within communities continues to rise. It's clear that support for afterschool will have to come from multiple sources--including President Obama's jobs plan, as well as from successful private-public STEM education partnerships highlighted in a recent Congressional hearing.

Are you looking for more ways to include STEM in your afterschool program? Find curricula, professional development opportunities, and more on our Resources page. If you're interested in helping to advocate for afterschool in your community--and across the country--check out the Afterschool Alliance's Policy and Action Center.

 

Six Days Left to Honor an Innovative Afterschool Program in Your Community

The Afterschool Alliance and MetLife have partnered up to honor five outstanding afterschool programs with this year's MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards. Only six days are left until the nomination deadline of May 31st, 2011!

In addition to $10,000 furnished by MetLife, chosen programs will be featured in an Afterschool Alliance Issue Brief. It's a great way to be highlighted on a national stage!

Nominated programs should fulfill one or more of the following guidelines (taken from the Afterschool Alliance website):

Providing Opportunities for Service Learning for Middle School Students – For exemplary middle school programs that are offering service learning opportunities to middle school youth by integrating community service with instruction to enrich learning experiences, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen their communities.

Aligning Afterschool with the School Day for Middle School – For afterschool that reinforces and complements the students’ regular academic programming in school and innovatively assists students in meeting state and local academic achievement standards in core academic subjects while also broadening their learning experiences.

Addressing Middle School Bullying - For afterschool programs that address the issue of bullying in a novel and creative way to teach children the dangers of ostracizing their peers and ways to deal with bullies.

Supporting Literacy for Middle School Students – For innovative afterschool programs that are excelling in promoting increased literacy, competent writing skills and a passion for reading among participating youth.  

 Good luck to all nominated programs! We can't wait to see the results.