A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Background

Major Findings

Out-of-School Time

Understanding children's use of out-of-school time involves learning about (1) their options for how to spend this time, (2) their ability to make intelligent and constructive choices among those options, and (3) the direct and indirect effects of those choices upon academic achievement.

• A useful distinction can be made between primary services for children with a social, recreational, or civic orientation (sports, clubs, youth volunteers) and specialized services designed to attend to deficits or dysfunction (social and health services, mental health services, juvenile justice, child welfare). Research indicates that more emphasis on primary services reduces the need for specialized services.

• Children in self- or sibling care during after-school hours experience greater boredom and fear of such things as accidents, fires, and crime, and are more likely to engage in delinquent activities such as drug and alcohol abuse. Children under adult supervision in a formal program have demonstrated improved achievement and better attitudes towards school than their peers in self- or sibling care.

• Nearly one-third of nine-year-olds report that they do not receive daily homework assignments. Research suggests that programs designed to encourage and assist students to complete their homework can affect academic achievement while providing supervision and safe care. Tutoring and mentoring programs combine academic assistance in the context of stable, supportive relationships.

• Differences exist in the way students from different countries use their out-of-school time. Compared to Asian countries such as Taiwan and Japan, U.S. students spend less time on homework and academic after-school activities, and more time watching T.V. and working part-time jobs.

• Schools in these countries are also responsible for a wide range of extracurricular programs, both during and after school. These programs complement a rigid national curriculum and often provide special instruction for slow and fast learners. Nearly all activities are taught by regular teachers, sometimes as part of the regular teaching load and sometimes for extra compensation.

Service Integration

Service integration involves cooperation and collaboration among service providers in different agencies--including the schools that serve a broad range of family needs, including health care, counseling, child care, nutrition, employment training and job placement.

• Schools can be a logical home for service integration programs, as they serve the same clients, have an established infrastructure for service delivery, and are often the only safe and stable haven in troubled communities.

• However, locating social services at the school may divert attention from the central academic focus of schools, and can burden financially strapped schools that are faced with more responsibilities, and insufficient staff training and funding. In addition, students and parents who feel isolated or alienated by schools may be better served in alternative settings for service integration programs.

Parent and Family Involvement

Rather than relying on a single type of activity, parent involvement programs include a variety of service models. Among Chapter 1 schools, activities range from parent-teacher meetings and parent volunteer opportunities to home visiting and intensive parent training or family literacy projects. Some schools offer parents roles in governance and decision-making.

• By engaging more parents and other adults in the education and lives of children, educators can effectively extend students' learning time, adding home-based learning activities to classroom instruction.

• While the current Chapter 1 law allows for a variety of parent involvement strategies, it requires only a few. Options may include requiring joint parent/school contracts, and report cards on school performance for parents, both of which improve communication between the home and school.

For copies of the report, please write the Planning and Evaluation Service, Office of the Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

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mail to esed@ed.gov Last update September 1996 (swz).