The U.S. Department of Education has released a series of reports outlining the research behind its plan for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including its proposals for serving kids after school and during the summer.
The “Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students” report points to research on extra learning time and high-quality enrichment programs and states that:
Preparing students for success requires taking innovative, comprehensive approaches to meeting students' needs, such as rethinking the length and structure of the school day and year."
The Education Department says its ESEA proposal would support “programs that redesign and expand the school schedule, provide high-quality after-school programs, and provide comprehensive supports to students.”
The department touts its proposed Promised Neighborhoods and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs as helping in that vein. But I’ve heard advocates complain that the Obama administration’s budget wouldn’t put enough money into after-school initiatives—especially 21st Century CLCs—to meet the needs that exist.
For more on all the reports, see this Inside School Research piece by Education Week‘s Debra Viadero.