Harvard Family Research Project Complementary Learning and Out-of-School Time: Promise, Problem and Challenges Harvard Family Research Project Complementary Learning Team: S. Bouffard H. Kreider P. CarogonanE. Mayer M. Caspe S. Simpkins E. DearingH. Weiss E. Harris C. Wimer P. Little Information and related research and evaluations on Complementary Learning and Out-of-School Time are available at:

Harvard Family Research Project Out-of-School Time (OST) programs and activities are a vital set of complementary learning supports. Other key complementary learning supports include:  Family resources and support and parent education services.  Continuous family involvement for learning at home and at school.  Early childhood and pre-Kindergarten services.

Harvard Family Research Project THE PROMISE National, state and local policy makers are betting that the provision of large scale, accessible, high quality OST services from Kindergarten through High School can promote the academic, social and civil development of children and youth. Some argue that OST programs and activities can play a meaningful role in closing socioeconomic and racial achievement gaps.

Harvard Family Research Project THE CONSTITUENCIES Multiple constituencies now support OST provision and this increases the likelihood of the scale-up and sustainability of these complementary learning supports.

Harvard Family Research Project  Families want safe and enriching opportunities for their children.  Communities want to prevent an array of costly social problems (juvenile crime, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, school dropout rates) and to promote positive youth development.  The private sector wants safe and high quality OST services that enable parents to work productively and that prepare the future workforce with the educational, problem solving and interpersonal skills necessary for workplace success.  Schools want to improve their transparent, bottom line student outcomes and are increasingly providing their own or linking with other OST providers. OST programs provide some of the cultural, recreational, enrichment, remediation and guidance services schools cannot.  Children and youth want safe, interesting and challenging services and as they age, opportunities to take initiative and leadership or partnership with supportive adults.

Harvard Family Research Project THE RESULTS SO FAR There are a growing number of experimental, quasi-experimental and mixed method evaluations as well as meta-analyses of them that suggest high quality, structured and engaging OST programs and activities are a promising area for investment because they can promote an array of important learning and developmental outcomes, including:

Harvard Family Research Project  Better attitudes toward school, higher attendance and higher educational aspirations.  Better school performance as measured by achievement test scores and grades.  Avoidance of problem behaviors (substance abuse, delinquency, risky sexual activity and pregnancy) and promotion of positive development evidenced in communication skills, community involvement, goal setting and increased confidence and self-esteem.  Improved interactions with peers and opportunities for leadership roles.  Respect for diversity.

Harvard Family Research Project THE PROBLEM Access for children and youth of lower income and of color (Black and Latino youth). THE QUESTION Who participates in any structured OST context, including before- and after-school programs, other structured OST programs (e.g., community programs and recreation programs), and other structured OST activities (e.g., school-based extracurricular activities and religious clubs and activities)?

Harvard Family Research Project THE DATA Two recent and nationally representative data sets:  The Panel Study of Income Dynamics – Child Development Supplement (PSID/CDS) second wave 2002 data for 3,000 children ages 5 – 19.  The National Survey of American Families (NSAF) 1997, 1999 and 2002 data covering about 40,000 children in 30,000 families between ages 6 – 17.

Harvard Family Research Project KEY FINDINGS  Across virtually all OST contexts, youth from higher income families were more likely to participate than youth from lower income families. This held for before- and after-school programs, other OST programs, and other OST activities.  For tutoring programs, however, youth from lower income families were more likely to participate than youth from higher income families.  Across most types of programs and activities, Latino youth are consistently underrepresented, and White youth are consistently overrepresented, with Black youth somewhere in between. resources/demographic

Harvard Family Research Project  Black youth, however, showed particularly high participation rates in some OST contexts, such as before- and after-school programs and summer camps.  The historical analysis revealed a general a pattern of stability in demographic differences in participation rates over the late 1990s.  For before- and after-school programs, however, there have been increases over time in participation rates at every level of family income, but the increase was greatest among the lowest income youth, resulting in a narrowing of the gap between youth from low-income families and youth from higher income families. resources/demographic

Harvard Family Research Project TWO CHALLENGES 1)Access and continued support for participation is a big issue if OST programs and activities are to contribute to closing the achievement gap. Ways to address the challenge include:  Promote parent capacity and responsibility for helping children and youth make good OST choices.  Develop policies that promote access for lower income and children and youth of color (NY and Providence mayoral leadership examples). 2) Open Pandora’s box: Discuss, examine and evaluate how to successfully link and align OST programs and activities with schools to promote learning and development.

Harvard Family Research Project “In the decades to come, school and after-school may become integrated into a new kind of day for children, one that is a blend of offerings in the community with more traditional programming in the school. Perhaps if someone reads this years from now, they will wonder what the term ‘after-school’ means, since the entire school day will be changed dramatically. In the meantime, however, the next few years hold much promise for creating new neighborhoods for children that bring together care, education, and youth development while addressing the needs of working families.” - Joan Lombardi, Time to Care: Redesigning Child Care