New and Continuing Challenges Facing Vermont

1. Opportunities for Vermont Educators, Communities and Leaders to Leveragethe Third Space to Expand Learning Terry K. Peterson, PhD, Senior Fellow, Riley Institute and College of Charleston; Consultant to the CS Mott Foundation (tkpalexva@aol.com) Favorite websites: expandinglearning.org; afterschoolalliance.org; summerlearning.org

2. New and Continuing Challenges Facing Vermont • The need to educate well all 90,000 public school students has never been greater • Almost 26,000 students come from low-income homes/neighborhoods, and there is increasing evidence that they will need not only a better school day, but more and better afterschool and summer opportunities---they are out of school 75-80% of time • Better education increasingly is the only pathway to be self-sufficient or achieve a middle-income • The number of working families is increasing; “home alone” for their children is not a “funny movie.”

3. There are three trends in this slowly recovering economy that we should tune into: There are projected to be significantly more jobs by the Year 2020 for Vermont; 132,000 more jobs in 2020 vs. 2010 Of all job openings (from new openings and from regular turnover), most jobs (65%) will require some career training beyond high school or a 2 or 4 college degree or more. More high school graduates will need astronger foundation to be college and career ready. High school dropouts will have a very, very tough time to make it in these conditions. 5% of jobs will require less than a high school diploma (http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Vermont2020.pdf)

4. The Power and Potential of the Third Space: From International Author Milton Chen The rise of the afterschool and summer learning movement continues to be a bright spot in the new landscape of American education. This “third space of learning”, often delivered through school-community partnerships, engages and broadens students’ experiences from their lives in school or at home. This is a distinctly American invention, fueled by the commitment and perseverance of thousands of local educators and a broad spectrum of nonprofit, public, and private partners. But let’s keep this a secret from policymakers in Finland and Singapore, because if they understand the types of creative learning going on in this third learning space,” they will create these places and programs… (Expanding Minds, pp. 107-109)

5. Teachers and Administrators Increasingly See Quality Afterschool Programs as a Place to Innovate • “They offer a pathway to the future at a time when there maybe too much outside emphasis on technocratic teaching that is uninspiring. • We need new forms of cooperation---the learning link to afterschool and formal schooling is crucial. • Though let’s be honest, the afterschool space allows some respite from the ongoing obsession with finite ways of knowing and our continuing, sometimes fetish drive to increase multiple-choice testing.” (A former award-wining teacher and advisor to two education reform Governors)

6. Opportune areas for you to expand learning thru school-community partnerships afterschool and summers Address factors for better student success and high school graduation—better math, reading, grades, attendance, behavior, engagement, etc. Bring in new allies for learning and working with schools while reducing costs and increasing community and family engagement. Provide leading edge opportunities for today’s jobs and college access—STEM, global and competency-based, and creative-arts learning. Provide safety & supervision from 3 -5 or 5:30 PM and in summers while learning new skills

7. Your programs in afterschool and summers should compliment NOT do the same thing longer from the school day • Students are in school only 20% of their “waking hours.” • Learning can be expanded through project and competency based learning. • Classroom and community teachers can deliver powerful learning together. • Students can have chances to find their own areas of interest to explore and create.

8. As our world becomes increasing complex, you can provide passports for success Schools alone cannot support all of the learning needs for children to be prepared for careers, college and life. Young people will require a greater set of skills and dispositions to succeed. Today’s learners need more opportunities to explore, test, be inspired and create. Innovative school-community partnerships in afterschool and summers are well suited to provide these opportunities. (Former US Secretary of Education Dick Riley, 2013)

9. The Lack of Quality Afterschool and Summer Learning and Enrichment May Be a New, Critical Inequality A recent dramatic study clearly demonstrates that high income families understand the critical importance of this “third space” for learning and development. This study found that on average top-income families are now spending almost $9,000 a year on enrichment outside the regular school day and year for their children plus a lot of their personal time (“The American Dream, Then and Now” ) Community and youth serving organizations along with schools and municipalities and counties can collaborate to provide “this third space,” especially in middle and low-income areas.

10. A Taste of Powerful New Research The second part of this presentation: • Will explore a growing body of research that quality afterschool and summer learning programs make a positive difference. • Will discuss how these new findings can be used to improve policies, funding, programming, partnerships and results.

11. High quality afterschool programs are proven to accelerate student achievement and development Durlak & Weissberg, Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning; Expanding Minds, p. 196

12. Governor Shumlin’s Remarks

13. New landmark compendium: New tools, evidence and strategies to expand learning

14. Expanding Minds and Opportunities: Leveraging the Power of Afterschool and Summer Learning for Student Success Contains contributions from almost 100 authors, researchers and practitioners about what works including in 21st Century Community Learning Centers • Review and download for free the articles from the Expanding Learning and Afterschool Project: www.expandinglearning.org • Buy a copy from Amazon.com and visibly use its 3 pounds of evidence to expand programming, improve results and build better school-family-community partnerships.

15. Research shows, including many studies and articles in the compendium, that. . . • Quality programs do make a positive difference in the education and development of young people. • Certain program characteristics are linked to continuous quality improvement and sustainability. • School-family-community partnerships add resources and make a positive impact.

16. Ten-year study of 1,000 students 95% of students 18 years and older have graduated or are on track to graduate high school 50% of these students are enrolled in a four-year college or have already graduated Lawrence Hall of Science, Center for Research, Evaluation and Assessment

17. EduCare Afterschool in Los Angeles Educational Resource Consultants, 2011

18. Positive impact in Vermont and in the 11,000 sites across America from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Teacher Reported Outcomes1 All Grades American Institutes of Research for U.S. Department of Education

19. You are setting the stage for quality afterschool and summer learning Dr. Heather Weiss at Harvard observes: “… the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative (along with other local, nonprofit and state initiatives over the past 5-8 years have)… built afterschool into a maturing field with demonstrated public value on an array of commonly valued youth outcomes.” (See p. 187, Expanding Minds) So you have not only an important role to play in constantly improving your programs, but also to help build this field in Vermont, working with other providers both in schools and outside schools with community and youth serving groups.

20. Quality Design, Staffing and Delivery of Programming… Matters a Whole Lot

21. Quality afterschool and summer programs can counteract factors linked to dropping out of school: better grades in core subjects improved attendance more engagement in school less misbehavior tailored help to address low test scores motivation to stay connected to learning (Balfanz, National Dropout Prevention Center and see Expanding Minds, pp. 62-69)

22. We Now Also Have Research to Improve Quality: Evidenced-Based Elements • Recruit quality staff and reduce turnover • Establish a strong bond and positive relationship between students and staff for success • Build bridges between school and afterschool (and summer) staff and programs • While increasing the collaboration between the school day and afterschool, do not remove the hands- on learning and student engagement in afterschool (and summers) that are critical • Establish networks of support with community and families ( Denise Huang in Expanding Minds, pp. 390 to 397)

23. Many More Students Need and Would Benefit from Participating in Quality Programs!

24. Prominent Researchers: It Is Time to Expand Afterschool and Summers Opportunities With the knowledge that we now have: we should spend time and energy developing strategies, supports, policies and funding for . . . afterschool and summer learning programs (at the localand state levels and through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers)… …rather than continue to argue whether they make a positive difference. (Durlak and Weissberg in Expanding Minds, p. 197)

25. 21st Century Community Learning Centers Federal Funding Grew Initially, But Now Needs A Greater Investment of $$

26. Quality afterschool and summer learning interest in Vermont • In recent years in Vermont, there have been twice as many applications for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers than money available. MILLIONS of DOLLARS worth of applications were not funded just in the past three years in Vermont. • More than 21,000 children in Vermont not enrolled in afterschool would likely participate in them if they were available in the community, according to their parents.

27. Parents believe that their children would benefit most from receiving academic enrichment, improving their social skills having fun, staying safe and out of trouble and improving their workforce skills. The summer study by the Afterschool Alliance showed 30,000 students not enrolled in summer who would if available in Vermont (http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3_Full_Report.pdf)

28. Additional Resources Are Needed toFill this Significant Gap and Improve Quality To serve more children and youth with expanded learning in afterschool and summers investments need to be made and are being made: By State governments: Several states (e.g., CA , MA and CT) have piggybacked on the 21st Century Community Learning Centers and offer their own state funded afterschool and summer programs . Tennessee is using unclaimed lottery monies (almost $12 million per year ) for afterschool programs. Arkansas has legislation, but is working on funding. They see quality afterschool opportunities as essential to sustain early childhood gains .

29. Additional Resources Are Needed toFill this Significant Gap and Improve Quality By school districts, municipalities and county governments : A county government and school district in Virginia collaborate to fund all middle schools to have quality afterschool programs. A number of municipalities across America are leading the development of coordinated expanded learning or afterschool systems . Local United Ways and Community Foundations are often a positive organizing and startup funding source for quality afterschool and summer programming. Some school districts or individual schools are using their own resources and/or Title I monies to expand afterschool and/or summer learning programs and build partnerships with local youth serving and community groups to capture the expertise of classroom teachers and community resources.

30. Additional Resources Are Needed to Improve Quality, too For connecting and networking the varied programs: Use more fully Vermont Afterschool, Inc. for a greater collective impact on learning goals and positive youth development. More fully capitalize on partnerships with schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H, Y’s, local youth, arts and science organizations, faith based efforts, libraries, museums, school extracurricular activities, and employers to become more cost-effective, offer course credit, share ideas and services. (In Expanding Minds, explore pp. 259 to 309) Remember: “We do better together.”

31. NEW LONG-TERM STUDIES TO BE AWARE OF: Five year study of Massachusetts mandatory Extended Learning Time (ELT) program “…found little evidence of effects on students’ academic achievement, and the results from the fifth year indicate that students’academic achievement outcomes, on average, have largely remained unaffected.” Significantly more teachers in ELT schools reported that teacher and staff fatigue, as well as student fatigue, were problem areas… Significantly fewer students in ELT schools reported that: they look forward to going to school; like being in school; that all of their classes are important to them; and that they like the length of their school day…”(http://abtassociates.com/reports/2012/-elt-year-5-final-report.aspx)

33. CONCLUSION: To take more students to the next level will necessitate not only reform of the regular school day, but also more quality expanded learning opportunities powered by strong school-community-family partnerships. More of the same longer is expensive and unlikely to make much difference. For your community and across Vermont, a better solution is to build off of successful afterschool and summer learning programs by expanding them and more fully leveraging and orchestrating youth and community groups, libraries, museums, colleges, employers, hospitals and school extracurricular activities to create a more varied and coherent “third learning space?” This approach would offer more complementary learning time and choices, but with many more organizations supporting similar key learning, education and development objectives.

34. YOU CAN SEE THROUGHOUT EXPANDING MINDS AND OPPORTUNITIES MANY EXAMPLES OF VERY SUCCESSFUL AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS AND THE IMPORTANT ROLE YOU ARE PLAYING IN ELEVATING THE WHOLE FIELD OF QUALITY LEARNING AND ENRICHMENT IN AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMERS. So please: Keep on improving your content, partnerships and results. Don’t be shy: get involved in your community and with more schools, families, and community groups to expand your reach and impact based on what you are learning. Share your exciting work about expanding learning in afterschool and summers with the media and decision makers. Work with Vermont Afterschool, Inc. and the Afterschool Alliance. In a few minutes you can share your successes and the importance of this work with your legislators.

35. “Does this mean that afterschool and summer learning are the silver bullet for what ails our educational system? Of course not, but I am increasingly convinced that they may, in fact, be a silver lining…an opportunity…a piece of the education reform puzzle.” (William S. White, President, CS Mott Foundation, at the release of Engaging Minds and Opportunities at the Press Club, 2013) .