Board Policies/Vision
School boards can provide leadership by setting policies that encourage and prepare key people to collaborate and work in partnership among various school-community stakeholders:
- For parents and community leaders—Develop seminars and workshops to help parents and community leaders engage in and support improvement strategies in after-school programs and building better partnerships among schools, youth-serving organizations, and community groups.
- For teachers, principals, and after-school program directors—Develop institutes, methods, and materials to effectively engage parent and community groups, faith-based organizations, youth, older citizens, and civic groups, as well as businesses, arts and cultural groups, and colleges.
- Adopt official policies to support after-school programs within the district.
Resources
- Building and Sustaining After-School Programs: Successful Practices in School Board Leadership
[PDF 284,314kb]
This report from the EDLO program features examples of policies and partnerships from eight districts whose boards are providing strategic and innovative leadership for after-school programs.
- Creating a Vision for Afterschool Partnerships [PDF 2,202,505kb]
This tool is intended to help new afterschool partnerships create a shared vision for their work. It contains information to educate partners on what a vision statement is and the purpose it serves.
- Extended Learning Opportunities; A Policy Statement of the Council of Chief State School Officers [PDF 746,176kb]
The CCSSO's policy statement discusses the critical role that SEAs play in implementing, sustaining, and ensuring student access to high-quality extended learning opportunities.
- Funding and Policy [PDF 85,333kb]
This task brief from the Forum for Youth Investment examines blending funding streams and developing policy to support after-school programs.
- Lessons Learned About Effective Policies and Practices for Out-of-School-Time Programming [PDF 275,700kb]
The report discusses the challenges to after-school program implementation, including issues of going to scale, state and local roles and responsibilities, funding and sustainability, the role of intermediaries and advocates, and the relationship between after-school programming and academic achievement.
- Multiple Choices After School: Findings from the Extended-Service Schools Initiative [PDF 547,030kb]
Public/Private Ventures has produced a study that aims to put policymakers on firmer ground as they make decisions regarding after-school programs.
- Out-of-School Research Meets After-School Policy [PDF 59,574kb]
This commentary from the Forum for Youth Investment is intended to help policy makers, program planners, and advocates sift through research related to after-school policy.
- Out-of-School Time and Civic Engagment [PDF 336,053kb]
This commentary describes how out-of-school time programs make ideal contexts for nurturing civic engagement, exploring the issue from the practice, research and policy perspectives.
- Planning and Vision [PDF 80,638kb]
This task brief from the Forum for Youth Investment looks at the processes for developing citywide plans and visions to support after-school programs.
- Reflections on System Building: Lessons from the After-School Movement [PDF 98,603kb]
This commentary from the Forum for Youth Investment addresses the potential for, and threats to, the development of a healthy, connected, out-of-school time system.
- Updating School Board Policies: Theme Issue on Extended-Day Programs [PDF 142,595kb]
The final issue of Updating School Board Policies, published in July/August 2003, focused on extended-day and after-school programs. The 8-page publication includes articles by leaders in the after-school movement and examines policy implications for school boards and state school boards associations.