By Dr. Mark Shobin, Ed.D. and Dr. Brett Prilik, Ph.D.

When voters in Stoneham, Massachusetts defeated a $3 million budget override in June, 2007, it spurred a round of budget cuts that wiped out the town’s entire high school sports program, the elementary and middle school arts and music programs, and left hundreds of student athletes in the lurch. Although the Stoneham Board of Selectmen voted for an unpopular trash fee that saved the high school sports program, cuts to public services have become the norm. Stunned parents talked openly of sending their children to private schools so they can play in sports. This is not an event isolated to Massachusetts. Communities in Maine, New York, Ohio, and Arizona, to name just a few, are experiencing the same problems. Throughout the country, parents have realized that they have to take ownership of their children’s education. They are essentially accepting the idea that public school education today means supplementing what the state and federal governments provide, through directly paying for these services.

Most of the affected services occur in the after school setting. But after school services include more than just athletics. Academic support after school is not only a smart idea, it is becoming critical given the continued decline in the United States standing in public education worldwide. We all know that student learning does not stop when the school day ends. The traditional beliefs about the six hour school day and learning-time are being discarded for newer models of learning and education, focusing on how children learn, and how to maximize learning potential after the traditional school day ends. We find ourselves in a highly competitive world with a public education system that does not provide our children the education necessary to compete on the same playing field as students from other countries. The sad fact is that the achievement levels of American students fall behind those of students in other competitive economies, especially in math and science, which jeopardizes our country’s future capacity for innovation and scientific research. Only about a third of American college students on the undergraduate level are pursuing degrees in science and engineering, while much larger percentages of students are preparing for careers in these fields in such countries as Germany, China and Japan. And less than half of high school graduates are prepared for college-level math and science.

To further complicate the issue, budget cuts described above on the state and local levels have all but eliminated many programs familiar to parents, including traditional after school programs. While there have been some reforms in our educational system, such as the proliferation of charter schools, independent public schools that offer innovative teaching techniques, the opportunity to capitalize on some of these innovations and other learning models in the after school environment has been lacking.  Increasingly, parents are turning to after school programs to provide or reinforce academics. Parents seek after school programming to help strengthen student knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as teach kids proper study skills that will allow them to succeed in college and beyond. These are the keys to America’s global competitiveness. How do we intellectually nourish students in the after-school setting who have to navigate a harsh educational landscape that features fewer and fewer extras?

We, as parents, have high expectations for our students’ after school learning, just as we do during the school day.  We expect students to complete and understand their homework, develop good study habits, prepare for exams, participate in activities, create new interests, even volunteer after school.  However, after school programming has not evolved to give today’s kids the support and challenge they need after school. Years of frustration with ineffective homework clubs, disconnected tutoring, and a lack of quality instruction after school, has resulted in a variety of competing models for how an after school program should look. The purpose of after school programs is to provide an opportunity that makes the regular school time more effective.

 Today, a comprehensive after-school program, one operating five days a week, must combine an academic and social component with a variety of engaging enrichment and recreational activities, and furthermore, be fun. Without this last element, kids will never come.

The typical publicly funded after-school programs attempt to run just this way. According to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., in a research evaluation published in 2005 of government funded after-school programs, they note the following:

The center is open five days a week for two and a half to three hours a day. About 85 students come to the center on an average day. The first hour is a snack and a homework session. Certified teachers and aides oversee the homework session. After homework ends, students are grouped by grade level and rotate through various activities, depending on the day of the week. Some students work in the computer lab on their reading and math skills or meet with certified teachers for instruction that complements instruction in the regular school day. Other students participate in enrichment activities, such as martial arts, fitness and dance, art, and music. A mix of teachers, instructional aides, and outside organizations lead the enrichment activities. On Fridays, students participate in special activities or spend time playing board games or basketball.

However, the report also noted some sobering facts. Despite the creative design of these after-school centers, students in the programs did not show improvement in academic achievement on most academic outcomes compared to students who did not attend the programs. There also were no differences in time spent on homework, preparation for class, and absenteeism. <