HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the schoolhouse
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The backpacks were hung by the entrance with care,
In hopes that Afterschool Programs would soon be there;
The children were waiting for programs to start,
Things like math, dance, STEM and the arts...
We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
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Initial Findings on the Impact of District-led Summer Learning Programs
Can large urban school districts successfully run high-quality summer learning programs? If so, what impact can these programs have on student outcomes? These are two of the questions Wallace, the RAND Corporation and five urban school districts are exploring as part of the Summer Learning District Demonstration Project. It's a six-year effort to provide voluntary, district-led summer programs that offer a mix of academic instruction and enrichment and test whether participation in two summers of programming boosts students’ success in school.
RAND is conducting a randomized controlled trial, the largest of its kind. The first set of results from the study have just been published in the report Ready for Fall? Near-Term Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Students’ Learning Opportunities and Outcomes. These initial findings tell us the near-term effect of one summer of programming as measured by reading and math tests and social-emotional skill assessments administered in the fall of 2013, shortly after the first summer of programming ended. Highlights of the report include: the districts successfully recruited large numbers of low-income students to free voluntary programs and carried out the programs with research-based features and the programs had a significant positive effect on student math achievement, giving students a meaningful advantage in the fall.
For Wallace's summary of the project and near-term findings, click here.
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Changes to Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse
Changes to the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) have been voted on in the PA Legislature and will be in effect as law on December 31, 2014. These laws will impact child care providers immediately and action must be taken to ensure you are in compliance with the new laws. All individuals who work with children (directors, facility staff, volunteers, etc) will need to take a 3 hour Act 31 approved training and have until June 30, 2015 to complete this.
Approved training can be found through the following sources:
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center and PA Family Support Alliance
Updates to the approved Mandated Reporter training list can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Education Website.
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Become a Digital Corps Host Site
The Sprout Fund is recruiting child and youth-serving organizations to become host sites for the Remake Learning Digital Corps!
The Digital Corps connects newly-trained digital learning practitioners with afterschool programs to provide technology and mentorship skills to teens and tweens. Together, Corps members and APOST sites work together to help kids develop the skills they’ll need to thrive in school, college, the workforce, and life.
The Sprout Fund has an open call for APOST-associated programs that wish to host Digital Corps members at their sites. Digital Corps members will receive training and be eligible to receive compensation for their work with teens as part of the program. Host sites will receive the free services of Digital Corps members. The deadline to apply is January 9.
Click here for more information.
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