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 The Engage Every Student Today Bulletin is a source of support for afterschool and summer learning programs, school districts, cities, and states as they respond to U.S. Secretary Cardona's bold call to action for universal out-of-school time learning opportunities for every child who wants to participate nationwide. This bi-monthly bulletin will share timely resources and strategies to expand access to engage every student in high-quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities.
 Raising the Bar for Parent Partnership in Our Schools
Check out this recent op-ed published in Newsweek, in which Secretary Cardona notes, “Parent partnership is not about giving in to the loudest voices or political grandstanding. It’s about welcoming the voices of all families and inviting parents to be a real part of decision-making processes in education.” He underscores the Administration’s commitment to authentic “parent engagement as a top priority by creating new opportunities for parents to engage directly with the Department…and with their own school communities.”
‘We Know What Works’ — The Best Ways to Use ARP Funds to Engage Every Student
Check out AASA's recent podcast, which features a conversation with Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, about the best ways to engage students in the wake of the pandemic.
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UPDATE: U.S. Department of Education's Strategic Use of Summer & Afterschool Set Asides Community of Practice
In February, the Department’s Summer and Afterschool Community of Practice met for its second convening to discuss Data to Promote Access, Quality, and Outcomes. Teams explored questions including: “What do we know about the quality of programs, partnerships, and student/stakeholder experiences?”, “What strategies could we consider promoting greater equity of access, quality, outcomes?”, and “How can we set up and/or improve a continuous improvement cycle at the state level?”. State teams from Hawaii, Oregon, and Texas shared their data collection strategies, to highlight their impact. Learn more about the Summer and Afterschool Community here. Please reach out to Holly.Miller@ed.gov and Elisabeth.lembo@ed.gov with any questions.
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In winter 2022 the Ohio Department of Education conducted a competitive grant competition to support partnerships between schools and community-based organizations that seek to provide out-of-school time services designed to address students' academic, social and emotional needs. Totaling up to $89 million of the state's ESSER III relief funds, the grants will be used to establish or expand comprehensive afterschool programs and/or evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs.
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The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is funding afterschool and summer learning programs funded through the ARP state level set asides through the Texas COVID Learning Acceleration Supports High Quality Afterschool and Summer Learning grant programs. TEA awarded grants to LEAs that are partnering with afterschool and summer learning providers to design and implement high quality out of school time programs. They are funding staffing and operational fund for districts.
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The Utah State Board of Education allocated ESSER funding to summer learning and afterschool programming through competitive grant programs, with $12.3M in funding for local programs to serve youth. Grantees are provided technical assistance to help empower school districts and community-based organizations to work with school-level and community needs data to target student support. Data may include attendance, benchmark assessments, or credit recovery.
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  The Key to Engaging Every Student: Building Greater Linkages Between National, State, and Local System Leaders
Now in its second year, the National Comprehensive Center’s Strategic Use of Summer and Afterschool Set Asides Community of Practice focuses on enhancing systems of support for program providers with teams from Arizona, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and U.S. Department of Education. In the December issue of the Journal of Youth Development, community leads reflected on insights from their work with over 10 states and the deeper systems-level connections that will be necessary to expand access and quality to out-of-school time programs in all communities.
New data from afterschool programs reveals programs rebounding, but some still struggling.
This past fall, more than 9 in 10 program providers responding to an Afterschool Alliance survey reported that they are open and serving students, with majorities providing their students with opportunities for academic enrichment, collaboration and connection with their peers, building foundational skills, and leadership opportunities. However, while providers are increasingly reporting that they have been able to return to pre-COVID capacity limits, there are still nearly 1 in 4 providers (23 percent) who say that they have not been able to return to their regular operational capacity. Based on responses from 1,016 afterschool program providers representing more than 7,400 sites, the brief, “Afterschool Programs Open, but Still Recovering Post-Pandemic,” identifies three primary issues contributing to programs’ reduced capacity:
- Recruiting and retaining staff is a significant difficulty for most afterschool programs.
- The increased costs of running afterschool programs is preventing some from increasing capacity.
- A demand conundrum: program providers surveyed appear to face both sides of the demand spectrum—where on one hand, 55 percent of providers are concerned about waitlists and their ability to meet families’ demand for programming, and on the other, 53 percent of program providers are worried about challenges recruiting and enrolling families in programming.
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Youth Voice and Choice
The Youth Voice and Choice Webinar will spotlight the Powered by Youth Voice: Future Directions for Afterschool initiative and youth survey. The webinar will feature strategies of youth-centered organizations within a range of entities including afterschool and summer learning programs, school districts and city government. Space is limited.
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Register for NSLA’s upcoming Summer Planning Boot Camp March 29th and March 30th
Presented in partnership with Engage Every Student, the NSLA webinars are led by national experts on hot topics such as 2023 Policy and Research Landscape Update, Building Closer School District and Community Partnerships, Utilizing Effective Curriculum and Program Partners, Improving Staff Recruitment Retention and Training.
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Best Practice Collection for Physical Activity Incorporation in OST Programs
In September 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration released the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, with actions the federal government would take with partners across all sectors to help end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities. The U.S. Department of Education would like to know how your OST program is increasing participation in physical fitness programs and incorporating physical activity in summer learning and afterschool programs. Please use this form to submit your promising practices for consideration.
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March 15, 1pm ET Afterschool Webinar: Creating and Sustaining a Caring Culture in Afterschool and Summer Programs
Research on successful out-of-school time programs shows that positive impacts for youth and families are often directly related to a strong and supportive program and organizational culture. Programs and organizations that have strong cultures and identities and those which are prioritizing the needs of the youth and families that they serve are ideally situated to help young people and program staff build the skills, behaviors, and beliefs that are necessary to thrive. Culture comes from the creation of safe and supportive space, positive relationships with staff, and flexible and respectful relationships between colleagues. Click here for more details and information on presenters.
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Family Engagement to Support Student Success
On February 28, the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation of New York and the Overdeck Family Foundation, held the first virtual session in a Family Engagement Learning Series intended to help education leaders and practitioners implement family engagement strategies that support student success. This first webinar focused on how family engagement practices support literacy and math. The second webinar of this series will explore how family engagement can improve school attendance and student engagement. We know students who are chronically absent are at serious risk of falling behind in school. While there are no easy solutions to this problem, family engagement practices offer some promise when it comes to improving attendance and student engagement. Join us – March 28, 2023, 1:00 – 2:30pm ET!
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Become an Ally of Engage Every Student.
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Make a Pledge to work toward Afterschool and Summer for all.
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Out-of-School Time and Workforce and Career Pathways Examples
The Engage Every Student Initiative wants to know if and how your OST/Summer Learning Program is offering Workforce and Career Pathways opportunities. Please use the form below to share information on your programming. Examples of efforts can include apprenticeships, work-based learning, paid or unpaid internships, career navigation, career shadowing, targeted career mentoring, professional skills building, access to industry-based credentials, etc.
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For additional resources from the U.S. Department of Education, click here.
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For additional resources from the Afterschool Alliance, click here.
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For additional resources from the National Summer Learning Association, click here.
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For additional resources from AASA, click here.
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For additional resources from the National Comprehensive Center at Westat, click here.
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For additional resources from the National League of Cities, click here.
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Legal Disclaimer: For the reader's convenience, this bulletin contains examples and information from outside organizations, including hyperlinks and URLs. Inclusion does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any outside organization, or the resources or services offered, or the views expressed.
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