“How much can you learn in a year after school?” That’s the question The After-School Corporation asks in its new annual report—and the answer appears to be...quite a lot.
TASC’s just-released 2009 report takes a close look at schools where TASC is active. TASC postulates that its programs have given students 28,800 minutes—or the equivalent of 72 days—of extra learning time after 3 p.m.
So, how did schools use this extra time? Well, at P.S. 182 in the Jamaica, Queens section of New York City, it meant adding about 90 minutes a week of extra music instruction after 3 p.m. At P.S. 279 in the Bronx, pupils spent an extra 180 minutes a week learning about conservation science after school. All told, TASC brought after-school science programs to 5,300 NYC children in 2009. Something I found equally interesting: TASC also trained 1,300 students from more than 300 NYC high school to work with younger children in after-school initiatives. What better way could there be to engage teens and younger children at the same time?
TASC reports receiving nearly $16.5 million in income and contributions in fiscal 2009 and spending about $25 million. Luckily for TASC, the organization came into the year with a surplus. The report states that the decrease in TASC’s assets is intentional and reflects the spending down of the founding Open Society Institute challenge grant used to start TASC.