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

Extending Learning Time:
Creating Safe Havens for Learning

"I believe that we have to work together to continue to make our schools safe and our students held to a reasonable standard of conduct.... [From] 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime, and all that comes back into the schools.... A lot of these schools do not have the resources today to stay open longer hours, but they would if they could."

This guide gives concrete steps that educators, parents, and communities can use to extend learning time in their local schools, such as through after-school reading programs as proposed in the President's America Reads Challenge initiative, or helping middle school students to master algebra or high school students to prepare for college. They support safe environments and increase opportunities for children and adults to acquire needed skills. It discusses the major strategies and issues involved in financing, developing, implementing, and evaluating after-school and summer programs. It offers practical, flexible guidance and real-life models that readers can use to develop their own strategies.

A Safe Haven for Children The city of Madison, Wisconsin operates a Safe Haven after-school program for more than 200 children at three elementary schools in communities with high crime and poverty rates. Program activities include homework help, academic enrichment, arts and crafts, supervised games and physical education, and field trips. Each school also incorporates its own approach to conflict resolution into the program by linking after-school activities to in-school strategies such as peer mediation and the DARE program, a drug prevention intervention. The school district's community recreation department, which staffs the program, works with the city's child care unit to train staff in conflict management, active listening, and other techniques to help students solve conflicts. As the program enters its third year, Safe Haven schools report improved attendance and reduced conflicts during after-school hours. Children in the program also show greater interest in completing their homework.

Schools have a practical interest in becoming a Community Learning Center: to provide increased services for their traditional school-age clients while garnering neighborhood and community support. Programs that extend school hours link teachers, parents, volunteers, tutors, local businesses and colleges, museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and other stakeholders in a collaborative partnership. The programs create a safe haven for children and involve them in positive, productive activities.

The Virtual Y New York, New York The YMCA of Greater New York, in partnership with the New York City Board of Education and Chancellor Rudy Crew, is working to bring extended school services to 10,000 public school children by turning 200 of the city's under-served public schools into Virtual Y's from 3 to 6 p.m. after school each day. Serving the Whole Student: Literacy, Character Education, and Drug-Prevention At each Virtual Y, 50 second, third, and fourth graders will take part in the Y's traditional curriculum, the spirit--mind--body triangle, designed to build strong values, enhance education and improve academic performance, and promote healthy lifestyles--with reading as the "golden thread" woven throughout. Under the Spirit (or Values) component, students will learn about the Y's six "core" values, Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship, focusing around themes ranging from racism to concern for the environment. The Mind (or Education) component is designed with a special emphasis on literacy to meet President Clinton's challenge that all children be able to read at grade level by age 8, by providing tutoring and homework help as well as learning enrichment activities, like reading clubs, math and strategy games, drama, journal writing, computer skills, and YMCA Youth and Government. The Body (or Health) component of the Virtual Y will help kids develop good health habits and fitness levels, while fostering self-esteem, teamwork, and incorporating a monthly focus on substance abuse prevention. Building Consensus from the Start Families, schools, and the community make up the second "triangle" of the Virtual Y program. The Virtual Y is designed to forge consensus beforehand, and while operating, to incorporate all of the talents and resources available to provide the highest quality services to its students. To ensure collaboration between all partners, principals must apply to become a Virtual Y school and make several commitments in advance, including agreeing to provide security and use of classrooms, gyms, libraries and other facilities during program hours, designating a liaison between the YMCA and the school, and acquiring written approval from the PTA, superintendent, and teacher union. This process ensures that key stakeholders are involved in the decision to participate, and will be dedicated to supporting the program and ensuring quality once it is underway. On a day-to-day basis, the Virtual Y will maximize resources by using a mixture of full and part-time professionals, volunteers--including college students and high schoolers involved in service learning, and funding and in-kind contributions from an array of public and private sources.

Extending school hours to provide reading and other learning activities, enrichment, and safe and drug-free environments uses resources more effectively as well, by allowing communities to take advantage of their largest capital investment, which otherwise is left unused up to 65 percent of the time. Residents of all ages gain easy access to a wider variety of organizations, which in turn can stretch their budgets further and increase services by saving on rent for facilities.

The assortment of programs and activities which a Community Learning Center offers will vary with its need to respond to local conditions and local community demands. In all cases, programs should have caring and qualified staff members. Throughout this guide, however, examples of two important types of extended learning opportunities are showcased: academic enrichment programs, including reading tutoring and intensive mentoring of middle school students in math and science, and drug-prevention or safety programs for children and youth.

Two Examples of Safe and Drug-Free Learning Programs The Lighted School Program. Since 1994, the Lighted School Program has kept middle schools in Waco, Texas open after school until 6:30 or 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, to provide activities and services to approximately 200 students who attend regularly. Nineteen local organizations provide activities and services. Baylor University contributes 115 college students as mentors; each works with one child, two hours a week, for a full school year. The college students receive two hours of course credit for serving as one-on-one mentors. Four graduate students receive tuition remission for supervising the program and serving as instructors for the 115 mentors. Staff from the city's recreation department lead supervised sports, field trips, and games. The Council on Alcoholism and Drugs implements the Straight Talk curriculum once a week at each site, and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Council runs a weekly club geared toward preventing early pregnancy and fatherhood. Two art centers send instructors to the schools to lead hands-on activities, and library staff help children read and act out mystery stories. Funding comes from local and national foundations, the city of Waco, the governor's Office of Juvenile Delinquency, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Children who participate in Lighted Schools say they appreciate having a safe place to go after school, that it keeps them off the streets, and that it is more fun than sitting at home in front of the television. Several say that if the program did not exist they would probably be in trouble. Camp Offers Healthy Activities. Sixty students who live in a community plagued by crime and drugs attend a summer camp operated by Chandler Elementary School, businesses, and community organizations in Charlestown, West Virginia. The school employs eight college students as counselors, tutors, mentors, and role models. The students are paid for their service through a grant from the mayor's office and Title I funds. A local transit company provides a bus and driver to transport children to the local recreation center, where campers take weekly tennis lessons. Campers also work in the school's computer lab and strengthen their reading and math skills with teachers and tutors. Other activities include hayrides, arts and crafts, swimming, and field trips. A six-week curriculum includes a drug prevention component that encourages children to talk about the impact of drugs and violence on their community. Teachers and counselors help campers find ways to resist drugs and make healthy choices.

Key Elements of Effective Drug Prevention Education Drug-prevention programs should: Involve the family and community Teach that using drugs, alcohol, and tobacco are not the norm among teenagers, even if students think that "everyone is doing it" Help students recognize anxiety, stress, peer attitudes, and advertising that influence them to use alcohol, tobacco, and drugs Help students develop personal, social, and refusal skills to resist these pressures Reinforce positive behavior Provide developmentally appropriate material and activities, including information about the short-term effects and long-term consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs Use interactive teaching techniques Cover necessary prevention elements in multiple sessions Include teacher training and support Contain material that is easy for teachers to implement and culturally relevant for students Conduct an analysis of the problem and develop a plan based on the analysis Use programs that are research based Establish clear measures and objectives Conduct regular evaluations and modify the program based on evaluation findings

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[The Benefits of Schools as Community Learning Centers]

[Financing a Community Learning Center]