After School Programming Professional Development & Instructional Quality City of Wilmington After School Programs Judy L. Singletary Clemson University Youth Development Leadership

North Carolina More than six million children in the United States spend an average of eight hours per week in after-school programs. (Afterschool Alliance, 2004) According to a recent survey conducted by SEDL’s National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at 54 promising after-school sites around the country, 75% of after-school instructors have a bachelor’s or master’s degree and 72% have at least 3 years of after-school experience. These sites have demonstrated a positive effect on student achievement. SEDL, August 2008, Afterschool, Family, and Community 12% (179,874) of North Carolina’s K-12 children participate in after-school programs. Public schools are the largest providers of after-school programs. 86% of parents are satisfied with programs. State-wide initiatives are forced on training & technical assistance. Afterschool Alliance, America After 3 PM, 2009 National

Problem As expectations of after-school programs has risen to incorporate approaches that encompass enrichment opportunities for academic achievement, after-school educators are often not prepared with professional knowledge and competencies that will provide high-quality programming. Purpose of Study To evaluate the professional development of staff within the City of Wilmington after- school programs and identify practices that are central to achieving high-quality instructional programs to provide positive academic outcomes for youth

Theory and Practice Professional development and instructional quality research indicates that a high-quality learning environment is more apt to transpire when evidence-based training approaches are incorporated within after-school programs (Durlak & DuPre, 2008). Professional development of staff is one of several vital contributing factors in high- performance quality programming ("Core Competencies For Afterschool Education,” 2009).

How can City of Wilmington after-school programs use pre-established methods to identify their strengths and weakness while striving for high-quality performance? What role does professional development play in meeting the needs of youth academic success? What characteristics of effective instructional learning environments incorporate the support and opportunities necessary for youth to succeed academically and developmentally? What kind of systemic staff support is necessary to build the capacity of after-school programs in Wilmington to promote positive youth development as a support to academic achievement? What factors promote and foster professional development and instructional quality within the City’s after-school programming? Research Questions

Evaluation Toolkit:  Create a logic model that will provide guidance with evaluation  Identify availability of resources  Select an evaluation design  Collect, analyze, present, and utilize data After-school Evaluation 101 ______________ How to Evaluate an Expanded Learning Program Eric Harris

Methods Qualitative  Interviewing  Site observation  Content analysis  Collective meetings Quantitative  Questionnaires  Parent surveys

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