Should after-school programs be an extension of the school day?

Yes, I think that afterschool programs can be a very good thing. Too many of our students go home to little or no support. However I do believe it needs to be hands on, fun and not as structured as school. Active learning, the arts and movement must be a part of any good program afterschool. A love of learning, and finding the school a fun and supportive place to be will enhance students' academic scores and progress.

Our middle school participated in a federal grant with a community learning center where we did afterschool programs. We had structured "learning" and play time. There MUST be some structure to keep order and insure that the students do learn, learning can be through games, computer work, etc. When our grant ran out, the school modeled their ESS program after our CLC program and the students are gaining much more because of the structure and fun involved. Kids are wanting to stay after to get help and move ahead. We hire students from the high school to work with the middle school students as tutors/mentors, thus creating a bond where the middle school students aren't as afraid of attending the high school. I firmly believe that afterschool programs ARE needed, if the schools don't have the kids SOMEONE will. If schools don't want to deal with gangs, drugs, etc. then why not have programs or connections to organizations that offer the programs that will attract the kids and not leave them to mix with the wrong crowd. Kids have too much time on their hands with no supervision, schools are there, why not us them in a different manner that will help in more than one way! The mind set needs to be changed in EVERYONE, the responsibilities the schools take on are more than just education and they are being held accountable in ways that they should not. However, by opening school doors, you can change your community and work together as a team that can create profound results! There are plenty of cities/towns that prove this! It must be a team effort where parents and schools work together. I am reminded of a training I attended and a book that was recommended, maybe we all need to read it - "Building Communities From the Inside Out". The community has to realize there is a problem and want to change in order for change to occur, change will not occur when someone comes in and says here is the problem and solution, this will fix everything! When the money runs out, it will go back to the same old way because the community didn't "buy into" the problem. Remember education is the key!!!

The wording of the two poll questions regarding after school - yes or no: If the afterschool was an extension of the school day, with same requirements, meaning credentialed teachers, following state standards, assessment formative and summative that would then "extend the school day" and I would be for that...with credit on the student's transcript. If the after school program was an enrichment of what is taught in the school day, with the expansion of requirements, using credentialed teachers, assessment formative and summative, that too would then "extend the school" and I would be for that...with credit on the student's transcript. I support aligning programs with school instruction and after school programs. If after school programs are not done as noted in the two options above then do not call them "education" and don't mislead the students that the program will count for college....this is an all too common happening.

After school programs can be tailored for more individualized needs of the students. Parents could be assessed fees for individualized help for the students to help offset costs. But the most important factor in all of this is "does the student want to learn the information." Many times students are forced to come to the after school programs but have no ambition or interest therefore there are no gains.

Having over 30 years of experience in schools (20+ as a teacher, 10 as an administrator) I have determined the following regarding after school programs. The time a child has should be divided into three eight hours time periods: eight hours for school, eight hours for family time, and eight hours for sleep. During the school time they should be involved in creative, engaging, expertly delivered instruction. During the family time they should be engaged in creative, engaging and expertly delivered parenting. During the sleep time they should be getting quality sleep preparing them for the other sixteen hours of their lives. My experience in education has led me to conclude that we expect the schools to provide intellectual/vocational education, social education, and baby-sitting so that two parents can work. Unfortunately, and to their discredit, schools have taken on all the responsibilities shifted to them by societal expectations and absent parents. Schools can be mandated--even if unfairly--parents cannot. In reality school personnel are only trained and equipped to provide effective intellectual/vocational education. For success that limited goal must be accepted by the public for all schools as their mission. Given this clear limited mission the schools can be held accountable for their results that can, I believe, be accomplished in their eight-hour time slot. Therefore, after school programs are not needed. What is needed is that every segment of society accepts responsibility for their piece of the child rearing/educating pie. With that accomplished the schools will be successful and society's children will prosper. If we continue to ignore parental responsibility the entire system will collapse and our democratic society that depends on free public education, will also collapse. We must face the reality of what is happening and engage in real dialogue about the real issues if the great experiment of our founding fathers is to be successful.

Both programs are possible and up and functioning in some schools. An afterschool homework club which has a number of teachers dropping in to assist their students who are struggling while one day a week a math club meets for and hour and a half to help provide accelerated learning opportunities for gifted students in the way of lessons, contests, games. The math club had some 57 regular attendees with 18 others that came and went as their athletic schedules, piano lessons, etc. pulled them away. Your biggest challenge is that after teachers have taught or prepared to teach or met with parents before school, taught all day, attended meetings, parent conferences, IEP's, SST's etc. they often find their own lives calling as opposed to staying another hour or two after school several or even one day a week on a volunteer basis. The math club for exam requires preparing 3 separate lessons for the three levels of students that attend on top of the three preps and department chair responsitiblities I have. I do have some help from other teachers in my department, but every Friday is a challenge for them to be able to volunteer their time. But, both groups can be provided for afterschool and as long as the teachers hold out, it isn't that expensive.

Many times after school programs tend to be nothing more than babysitting. These types of programs should obviously provide more than a gym free-for-all and a collection of coloring sheets. It is unfortunate that these organizations do not take the time to invigorate their offerings via challenging enrichment opportunites and project oriented community endeavors.

I propose unpacking the box labeled "Regular School Hours" and discard the packaging. The dominant structure of schooling based on the industrial model of moving students on a 12 year long conveyor belt does not serve or inspire students' learning. Nor does it serve the community--the 'factory' is idle and unused two thirds of the day. Instead, I advocate a 13-16 hour day where the student plugs into their 'best time for learning and learning style strengths'. It could be a split day, or 10-12 hours on a project,or 3 hour seminar and 2-3 hours of sports, music,drama,art, auto repair, computers, service learning.... I don't belive in separating out "extra curricular". It's all part of learning and connects to life outside the box and fosters a real multiage diverse learning community. Time does not permit going into the complexities of how this worked in a small public H.S.(300-400) serving at-risk, highly capable, professional (hockey,modeling,acting),teen parents and bored students. The key focus was "what's best for each student", and accountability was not based on 'seat-time'. Should "school" include the interests and passions of its students and community? YES!

The key words in this survey proposed afterr school programs help students "hone" their academic skills or utilize "hands-on" learning activities. I think, in that case, it would be beneficial if the student's primary teacher is utilized as a reference point with a survey or recomendation form. Also, as Cindy Bennett, adhered too, creative arts should be a strong emphasis, since these subjects are being dwindled out of the regular school programs.

Although I do believe that every child is entitled to paticipate in our educational system, some children are just not ready for the rigors of a full day at school. no matter what age they are. That is not to say they cannot perform academically, they just are not ready to focus that long to do it. Unfortunately, our educational system is not set up for them to digress after lunch and participate in progams that would challenge and educate them in other ways: art, music, wooodworking, sports, computers, etc. Those children are ready to go home becuase they have had enough with the system set up the way it is. I believe afterschool programs offer the ideal situation for the other students; the ones who want to be with other students like themselves. They are thirsty for knowledge, and have already made a committment to discipline themself to get the job done. This group of students suffers the most in our schools today. They are the neglected student becuase they are not either a discipline ora behavior problem, and they are not labeled with any thing else that gives them extra support. After school would provide that for them. The ones who want to go home should never be forced to extend the already too long structured day that they experience.