1. Afterschool and summer learning: Opportunities to advance local priorities in Oklahoma
Gigi Antoni Director of Learning and Enrichment, The Wallace Foundation Testimony before the Oklahoma State Legislature Common Education Committee Oct. 3, 2018

2. Today’s discussion
About The Wallace Foundation – our approach and experience
Why think beyond the traditional school day
Afterschool and summer learning: What we know about benefits and how to achieve them
Considerations for state policy and practice

3. About The Wallace Foundation
The mission of The Wallace Foundation is to foster
improvements in learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children and
the vitality of the arts for everyone.
We work with grantee partners to develop -- then broadly share -- evidence-based, practical insights in our focus areas

4. Wallace’s policy engagement principles
Full compliance with the law, in letter and spirit
We say more only as we know more based on our evidence and experience base
Support flexible approaches that allow for adaptation to local context

5. Wallace’s work in expanded learning
Since 2003 , we have invested more than $100 million nationally in supporting local progress and developing credible evidence and lessons about:
How cities can support high-quality afterschool
Full-day summer learning programs
School-run, read-at-home summer programs
Afterschool arts programs
With independent researchers like RAND, we have published more than 60 reports distilling key lessons

6. Our funding in Oklahoma today – $6 million since 2014
Partnerships for Social and Emotional Learning Initiative – aligning opportunities for social and emotional learning in school and afterschool
Tulsa, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Palm Beach County, Tacoma
Partners here are Tulsa Public Schools and community-based organizations led by the Opportunity Project
Tulsa in Wallace’s Principal Supervisor Initiative – one of two districts that are more advanced
We are learning from Oklahoma’s innovations

7. Today’s discussion
About The Wallace Foundation – our approach and experience
Why think beyond the traditional school day
Afterschool and summer learning: What we know about benefits and how to achieve them
Considerations for state policy and practice

8. Afterschool: A time for development beyond experiences in school
Need to bolster achievement, particularly for low-achieving children
Need opportunities to develop their own interests and skills, self-management, and enriching interactions with peers and adults
Need for safety and reducing risky behavior

9. Summer: A time of risk for many kids
Disadvantaged children lose ground academically during summer
Fewer structured opportunities for enrichment
Less access to healthy foods
Higher rates of obesity
Risk of unsafe behaviors

10. Children from low-income families have half the access to enrichment activities
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

11. Growing gap in spending on enrichment (Family spending on enrichment for children in 2008 dollars)
Source: Whither Opportunity? Rising Inequality, Schools, and Children’s Life Chances, 2011, Russell Sage Foundation, Greg Duncan and Richard Murnane, ed., p. 11

12. Afterschool and summer are opportunities to meet these needs
Time available in children’s schedules to provide learning opportunities
Programs can be adapted to use community resources
Multiple local institutions across sectors – schools, city agencies, nonprofits – can work together

13. In Oklahoma, parent support is high for afterschool and summer programs
77% support public funding
73% say afterschool helps give parents peace of mind about their kids
75% say it helps parents keep jobs
Top factors in parents’ selection: quality; hours; child’s enjoyment; safety; qualified staff
Summer learning
84% support public funding
20% say their child in a program
58% would enroll their child
Source: America After 3PM, Afterschool Alliance, 2014; America After 3PM Special Report on Summer, Afterschool Alliance, 2010, available at afterschoolalliance.org and

14. Summing up
Children from low-income families have an achievement gap relative to their peers
They also have fewer opportunities for enriching experiences – creating an ‘opportunity gap’
Children benefit from opportunities to address these – and gain the safety of supervised hours.
Parents see value both for their children and for themselves

15. Today’s discussion
About The Wallace Foundation – our approach and experience
Why think beyond the traditional school day
Afterschool and summer learning: What we know about benefits and how to achieve them
Considerations for state policy and practice

16. Afterschool and summer learning – benefits depend on program design
“Across studies, we find evidence that OST programs typically produce the primary outcomes expected by the content of programming delivered to youth.”
Communities have choices to make
The Value of Out-of-School Time, RAND, 2017, and

17. Communities have choices in programs
Program focus
Examples of activities
Typical staffing
Potential primary outcome
Additional outcomes
Specialty
Drama
Coding
Science
Staff with specialized skills
New skills
New experiences
SEL
Attitudes toward school
Behavior in school
The Value of Out-of-School Time, RAND, 2017

18. Communities have choices in programs
Program focus
Examples of activities
Typical staffing
Potential primary outcome
Additional outcomes
Specialty
Drama
Coding
Science
Staff with specialized skills
New skills
New experiences
SEL
Attitudes toward school
Behavior in school
Multipurpose
Homework help
Recreation
Enrichment
Youth workers
Safety
Family employment
The Value of Out-of-School Time, RAND, 2017

19. Communities have choices in programs
Program focus
Examples of activities
Typical staffing
Potential primary outcome
Additional outcomes
Specialty
Drama
Coding
Science
Staff with specialized skills
New skills
New experiences
SEL
Attitudes toward school
Behavior in school
Multipurpose
Homework help
Recreation
Enrichment
Youth workers
Safety
Family employment
Academic
English, math
Teachers (academics)
Youth workers (recreation)
Academic achievement
The Value of Out-of-School Time, RAND, 2017

20. Basic building blocks for benefits in both summer learning and afterschool
Strong participation by children and youth
Consistent attendance
Implemented with high quality
Qualified staff
Age-appropriate materials and activities
Positive, safe climate
Well-designed and aligned with community needs
Targeted outcomes
Sufficient duration and frequency

21. Use of ESSA funds depends on evidence – and afterschool and summer learning programs qualify
Federal funds for Title I, II, and IV can be spent on afterschool and summer programs if they meet evidence requirements
More than 60 studies in afterschool and 47 in summer do meet the standards (positive results indicating improved outcomes for students)
Programs cover pre-K and K, elementary school, middle and high school… and a variety of different approaches
Source: Forthcoming studies by RAND and Research for Action commissioned by The Wallace Foundation.

22. Afterschool systems can help increase access and quality
“This initiative provided a proof of principle—that organizations across cities could work together toward increasing access, quality, data- based decisionmaking, and sustainability. ”
--Hours of Opportunity: Lessons from Six Cities on Building Systems to Improve After-School, Summer School, and Other Out-of-School-Time Programs
Note: This evaluation studied Wallace-funded efforts in six cities. We have heard of regional efforts in rural areas, but have not studied them.

23. Afterschool systems: Four key elements
No one-size-fits-all approach
Coordinating organization varies by community
Is Citywide Afterschool Coordination Going Nationwide?, FHI360, 2013, available at

24. Today’s discussion
About The Wallace Foundation – our approach and experience
Why think beyond the traditional school day
Afterschool and summer learning: What we know about benefits and how to achieve them
Considerations for state policy and practice

25. Options for state policymakers
Support programs that match local needs – there are a broad range of approaches and benefits
Incentivize and support local providers to develop well-designed, high-quality programs
Consider the role of afterschool systems
Maximize attendance of individual students – measure attendance, not enrollment
Measure outcomes that align with program content
“Don’t ask the baseball team to score touchdowns”
Use Title IV and other ESSA funding streams for afterschool and summer
“Policymakers and funders can incentivize intentional, quality programming by providing adequate resources and prioritizing funding for programs that can demonstrate intentionality of design and quality characteristics.”
-- The Value of Out-of-School Time

26. The payoff for children – and communities
More young people acquire the broad range of academic, social and emotional skills to equip them for success
Reduced risk of obesity, nutrition, safety problems
Stronger, more inclusive communities – benefiting all children

27. More information @ wallacefoundation.org