Afterschool: Effective & High Quality

National Conference In Atlanta

Beyond School Hours  XIV, the national conference organized by Foundations, Inc., is meeting in Atlanta from February 23-26, 2011. Programs at the conference offer opportunities to focus on student success in school, afterschool and in the community.

In one of the first sessions, we were all reminded that an effective & high quality afterschool experience for students and teachers is created when the following realities are in place:
> The staff sees themselves as educators.
> The responsible adults in the program know what students are learning during the school day
> Leaders are trained in appropriate methods & techniques for afterschool instruction and activities.
> The afterschool team has plans & tools to reflect on and assess the programs along with student progress.

This session was interesting and helpful as the Arts for Learning Lessons Program builds on its initial introduction in DeKalb County as an extended day program at 7 elementary schools.