Afterschool Programs and Service-Learning 21 st CCLC Summit, 2013

1. Afterschool Programs and Service-Learning21st CCLC Summit, 2013 Dr. Richard Bradley, Ph.D. 6670 Hayhurst Street Worthington, OH 614-570-5514 creativityrb@yahoo.com

2. What are schools like?

3. Best Practices for High Functioning Afterschool Programs A study of 53 high functioning 21st CCLC programs found that these programs: Have clear goals Utilize research-based activities based on these goals Link school-day and afterschool activities

4. Best Practices for High Functioning Afterschool Programs 4. Utilize research-based curricula and teaching strategies 5. Are characterized by positive learning environments 6. Promote youth engagement through motivational strategies that engage youth in learning activities 7. Are characterized by effective management, support and resources 8. Provide opportunities for youth to practice skills they are learning 9. Include program monitoring and reset goals annually based on assessment results.

5. Reconnecting Kids to Schoolsand Communities • Good classroom management • Honoring diversity • Class and school size • Democratic classroom/school • Participation in service-learning and/or other extracurricular activities • Personalization • Relevant curriculum • Culture of revision and redemption • Authentic assessments • Real leadership and responsibility

6. What is Service-Learning? • DVD • Discussion

7. Definition of Service-Learning Service-Learning • Is an educational strategy • Involves students in meaningful service to their schools and/or communities • Engages students in some form of reflection and/or study related to their service. Well designed service-learning projects connect with, reinforce, enrich, and enhance what students learn in the classroom by providing them with opportunities to apply classroom content and skills to address real-world problems.

8. K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice (www.nylc.com) • Meaningful service – activity engage participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities. • Curriculum Links – intentionally used as an instructional strategy that connects learning goals and/or content standards. • Reflection – incorporates multiple challenging reflective activities that are ongoing and prompt deep thinking about oneself and one’s relationship to society. • Diversity – promotes understanding of diversity and mutual respect among all participants.

9. K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice (www.nylc.com) • Youth voice - youth have a strong voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating their service experience. • Partnerships – involve collaborative, mutually beneficial partnerships that address community needs. • Progress monitoring – participants engage in an ongoing process to access implementation quality and progress towards meeting goals and use results for program improvement and sustainability. • Duration and intensity – have sufficient duration and intensity to address community needs and meet learning and service goals.

10. How Community Service and Service-Learning Differ

11. Types of Service-Learning Projects Two ways to do projects: • Group • Individual Three kinds of projects: • Direct • Indirect • Advocacy or Civic Action

12. Benefits of Service-Learning Personal and interpersonal development – students: • Show increases in personal and social responsibility and sense of educational competence • Perceive themselves to be more socially competent • Report increased self-esteem and self-efficacy • Show reduced levels of alienation, behavioral issues and have fewer disciplinary referrals • Less likely to engage in a wide range of “risky” behaviors • Were better able to trust and be trusted by others, be reliable, and responsible

13. Benefits of Service-Learning • Showed greater acceptance of cultural diversity and improved attitudes about helping others • Showed increased awareness of community needs, believed they could make a difference and were committed to future service • Were better able to come up with realistic solutions to problems and understand how to take steps to address them • Were more connected with their schools/communities • Showed improved leadership skills

14. Benefits of Service-Learning Academic impacts of service-learning: • Moderate to strong gains on student achievement tests and math and language arts (GPAs also improved) • Higher scores on state tests of basic skills • Scored higher on all academic measures – mastery of course content, problem-solving skills and attitudes toward learning • Were more academically engaged and more attached to their schools and communities • Showed significant gains in attendance and positive school behaviors

15. Benefits of Service-Learning Other service-learning impacts: • Students show greater gains in career-related skills communication skills, and positive increases in career exploration knowledge • Positive improvements in school climate • Youth who participate in service-learning programs are viewed by the community as valued resources and contributors

16. How Afterschool Programs are Promoting Service-Learning Afterschool programs: • Offer mentors to guide students in developing service-learning projects for their schools and communities. • Offer the flexibility (often missing in today’s classrooms) for students to apply classroom knowledge and skills to address problems and issues in their community. • Enable students to become leaders by providing opportunities for their voices and ideas to be heard and utilized. • When linked to in-school learning, help students gain self-confidence and respect as agents of change

17. Moving from “good” community service to quality service-learning • Step 1: Investigate – What’s out there? What are we already doing? W hat issues do we care about? What talents, skills, abilities and resources do we have? • Step 2: Research/Prepare – What do we need to know to become “experts” on our issue? Where can we get that information? What are the curriculum connections? • Step 3: Plan/Act – What, who, how, when, where, etc.

18. Moving from “good” community service to quality service-learning • Step 4: Reflect – How are we doing? What’s working? What’s not working? Where do we need help? Anything need to be changed or modified? What are we learning? In what ways does this connect with the classroom? What are we going to do all this information? • Step 5: Demonstrate – How will we share the results of our service project with others (e.g., peers, other students, adults, elected officials, the media, etc.)?

19. From an idea to a project… • Media – 60-minute newspaper search • Observation – Community walk-about, Journaling for Social Action • Surveys – classmates, community members to find out what’s on their minds • Interviews – explore community partner needs – is anybody “out there” already doing what we want to do • Curriculum links/grant goals – reinforce, enrich and enhance!!!

20. Some Resources • Cathryn Berger Kaye (2010). The complete guide to service-learning (2nd Ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Press • GenerationOn – www.generationon.org – lots of great resources and ideas • National Service-Learning Clearinghouse – www.servicelearning.org • When all else fails … try a “Google” search – service-learning and afterschool programs, etc.

21. Opportunities to learn more about service-learning The Office of 21st CCLC is sponsoring regional, two-day service-learning training workshops: • Central Region – February 19-20, Delaware County Developmental Disabilities Center • NE Region – February 27-28, Polaris Career Center • NW Region – March 4-5, NW Ohio Educational Service Center • SE Region – March 7-8, University of Rio Grande • SW Region – March 11-12, Humana, Cincinnati For more information contact your regional coordinator.