Public Policy Resources

Here, you will find:

• Citizen Schools Policy Materials
• Citizen Schools Publications
• Research on Out-of-School Time
• Links

Citizen Schools' Agenda for the 111th Congress

Citizen Schools' Memo to President-Elect Obama's Transition Team

Legislative Leave Behinds

• Expanded Learning Time
• FY 2010 Budget and Appropriations
• National Service
• No Child Left Behind
• The Impact of High-Quality Afterschool Programs, Side 1
• The Impact of High-Quality Afterschool Programs, Side 2
• T-FELAS

Legislative Summaries

111th Congress

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009
• Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (H.R. 1388) signed into law on April 21, 2009 signed into law on April 21, 2009
• Investment in After-School Programs Act of 2009 (S. 1281) re-introduced on June 17, 2009
• Investment in Rural After-School Programs Act of 2009 (H.R. 3078) introduced on June 26, 2009
• Success in the Middle Act of 2009 (H.R. 3006 and S. 1362) re-introduced on June 23 and 26, 2009
• Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act of 2009 (TIME Act, H.R. 3130 and S. 1410) re-introduced on July 8, 2009

• Investment in Afterschool Programs Act (S. 3545) introduced on Sept. 24, 2008
• After School Partnerships Improve Results in Education Act (ASPIRE Act, H.R. 6928) introduced on Sept. 18, 2008
• Serve America Act (S. 3487) introduced on Sept. 12, 2008
• Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act (TIME Act, S. 3431) introduced on Aug. 1, 2008
• Expanded Learning Time Demonstration Act (H.R. 3642) introduced on Sept. 24, 2007
• Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 3406 and S. 2227) introduced on Aug. 3 and Oct. 24, 2007
• Teaching Fellows for Expanded Learning and Afterschool Act (T-FELAS Act, S. 778 and H.R. 7154) introduced on March 6, 2007 and Sept. 26, 2008

2009

Working Paper: "You Can't Just Show Up": How Citizen Schools' 8th Grade Academy Builds a Foundation for Success by Joel Horwich.  This paper examines the evidence that Citizen Schools' 8th Grade Academy program has positive long-term effects for students, uses interviews with staff and student alumni to illuminate which elements of 8th Grade Academy are effective, and examines the lessons for the field.

2008

White Paper: Expanding the Learning Day: How the Edwards Middle School in Boston Partnered with Citizen Schools to Transform the Learning Day by Kate Carpenter Bernier

About the paper.

Download a summary.

Download the appendices to Expanding the Learning Day:

• Appendix: Massachusetts 2020 Recommendations for Designing the Educational Program of ELT Planning
• Appendix: Mapping 7th and 8th Grade Electives to State Standards
• Appendix: Citizen Schools Staffing at the Edwards Middle School
• Appendix: Citizen Schools Grading Rubric

2006

Proceedings of the 2006 Reimagining After-School Symposium

Looking Back, Looking Forward by Eric Schwarz
Working paper prepared for New Profit, Inc.'s Gathering of Leaders.

2005

Realizing the American Dream by Eric Schwarz
Working paper prepared for New Profit, Inc.'s Gathering of Leaders.

2004

Proceedings of the 2004 Reimagining After-School Symposium

After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It
Harvard Family Research Project
This research brief draws on seminal research and evaluation studies to address two primary questions: (a) Does participation in after school programs make a difference, and, if so (b) what conditions appear to be necessary to achieve positive results? The brief concludes with a set of questions to spur conversation about the evolving role of after school in efforts to expand time and opportunities for children and youth in the 21st century.

The Future of Children: When School Is Out
The Packard Foundation
This issue of the Packard Foundation's journal The Future of Children includes articles by leading out-of-school time researchers, an issue guide, and recommendations for the field.

Critical Hours: Afterschool Programs and Educational Success
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
In this report, Dr. Beth Miller synthesizes the available research on after-school programs, paying special attention to their effect on the academic achievement and overall development of middle school students.  Her conclusion:  after-school programs can make a valuable contribution to children's school achievement.

The Afterschool Alliance, a coalition of public, private and non-profit groups, is dedicated to raising public awareness and increasing funding for after-school programs.  They are a leading supporter of expanded government funding for after-school programs, particularly at the federal level.

Afterschool.gov is a clearinghouse of federal resources that support out-of-school time providers, programs and advocates.  It provides information to help understand the issues that face youth and fund, start and operate an after-school program.  This site offers one-stop access to government resources that support after-school programs.

The Finance Project is a national initiative to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of public and private sector financing for education, other children's services, and community building and development. 

Forum for Youth Investment is a national initiative dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity of youth investments and youth involvement in United States by promoting a big picture approach to planning and policy development.  Its goal is to create strategic alliances among the full range of organizations that invest in youth.

The Harvard Family Research Project, based at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, strives to promote more effective educational practices, programs, and policies for disadvantaged children and youth by generating, publishing, and disseminating their own and others’ research.

Massachusetts 2020 is an "action tank" that uses research to develop policies and implement effective practices through the Expanded Learning Time initiative and out-of-school time programs.

The National Center on Time & Learning is dedicated to expanding learning time to improve student achievement and enable a well-rounded education for all children.

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), housed at Wellesley College, is the nation's oldest out-of-school time advocacy group. NIOST's efforts focus on research & evaluation, policy development & public awareness, and training & curriculum development. 

The National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) provides an umbrella organization to link people who work with school-age children and youth in a wide variety of settings during out-of-school hours.  NSACA promotes national standards of quality school-age care for children and youth 5-14 years old and grants accreditation to programs meeting the standards. 

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation promotes accessibility, quality, and effectiveness of education, especially for underserved populations, in the six New England states. Its strategic initiatives are early learning, time for learning, pathways to higher learning, adult learning, and systems building.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is an advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education.

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