MISSION - U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation · community can meaningfully engage in creating a...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

© Institute for a Competitive Workforce, 2010

MISSIONThe Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) is the non-profit, non-partisan, 501(c)3 affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ICW promotes the rigorous educational standards and effective job training systems needed to preserve the strength of America’s greatest economic resource, its workforce.

Through its events, publications, and policy initiatives—and drawing upon the Chamber’s extensive network of 3 million members—ICW connects the best minds in American business with the most innovative thinkers in American education, helping them work together to ensure the nation’s continued prosperity.

1...Expand Options Expand Achievement

Table of Contents

245689

101112131415161819202224

Overview

Working to Re-Imagine Learning to

Ensure Students Are Prepared

Snapshot: Reno Valley Middle School Leadership Academy (KS)

Why We Need to Re-Imagine Learning

Expanded Learning Opportunities:

Offer Collaboration, Innovation, and More

Snapshot: Harlem Children’s ZoneSnapshot: GlaxoSmithKline’s Science in the Summer Program (PA and NC)Snapshot: The After-School Corporation (New York City)

The Impact of

Expanded Learning Opportunities

Snapshot: Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time InitiativeSnapshot: Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce (IL)Snapshot: Business Coalition for Educational Excellence (NJ)

How Business Can Get Engaged

Snapshot: Cedar Falls Community Credit Union (IA)Snapshot: South Carolina Afterschool Alliance

Conclusion

Resources

Endnotes

2...Institute For A Competitive Workforce

OOverview


American businesses continually struggle to find the skilled employees necessary to sustain or expand their operations. Declining student performance in core academic subjects and plummeting graduation rates are just two of the main reasons why those in the business community remain concerned about their ability to find future leaders and innovators. Employers also increasingly struggle to find candidates who have key “employability skills” such as critical thinking, problem solving, and the ability to work in teams.

This brief sets a course for how the business community can meaningfully engage in creating a

seamless learning environment in their communities that will equip students with the academic knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the global economy. This brief focuses on the following:

• Re-imagining how, when, and where young people learn

• Why we need to re-imagine learning• Expanded learning opportunities: Offer

collaboration, innovation, and more• The impact of expanded learning opportunities• How business can get engaged


WIn 2007, leaders in business, along with nonprofit education policy associations, afterschool providers, researchers, and municipal officials, released New Day for Learning—a vision for re-imagining how, when, and where students learn. New Day for Learning is not a pre-established curriculum, but rather a framework of ideals that recognizes that education and learning happens everywhere, not merely inside of a classroom. An effective, seamless learning system:1

• Expands the definition of student success

Reading, math, and science are critical to a solid educational foundation but must be bolstered by applied skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork. Beyond merely teaching students these skills, we must find ways to thoughtfully assess them to ensure that today’s young people are fully prepared to succeed in school, work, and life.

• Uses research-based knowledge about how

students learn best

Students cannot learn if they are not engaged. Educators and community stakeholders must use research-based knowledge about how students learn best to guide their programs and instruction.

• Fosters collaboration across all sectors

The involvement of community, business, and municipal leaders, parents, and social service providers is vital to student success and pays economic, civic, and social dividends to all.

• Integrates various learning approaches

and places

Engaging strategies that incorporate the arts, technology, service learning, and apprenticeships can amplify core academic learning and provide students with opportunities for enriching their

Working to Re-Imagine Learning to Ensure Students Are Prepared


Snapshot: Reno Valley Middle School Leadership Academy (Kansas)Offers: Enrichment; homework and tutorial assistance; community service; and career exploration in an expanded learning program.

Structure: This expanded learning program has opened doors for morning tutorials and for afterschool programming (3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) five days a week. Teaching staff also includes paraprofessionals, the school counselor, college aides, and volunteers.

Collaboration: One of Reno Valley’s partners—Hutchinson Community College and Vocational School—has allowed students to explore fire science; nursing; heating and ventilation; 3D-graphic art and design; criminal justice; crime scene investigations; and welding, among other programs.

Results: The program has seen the average daily attendance rise from 5 to 30 attendees. Over the years, 100% of the teaching staff offered services to the program at some point during the school year.

education and connecting it with the adult world that they will enter. Schools are just one of the many places in the community where learning and student success can happen.

• Provides educators with new opportunities for

leadership and professional development

While most current leadership development and certification programs are school-based, the importance of community-building skills is growing. Teachers and youth development staff can forge mutually beneficial partnerships that enhance their own skills and result in better outcomes for students.


Our young people are becoming less competitive, even as our economy demands more highly skilled workers. A generation ago, America boasted the highest percentage of college-educated adults in the world. Today, we are tied for 10th place in the percentage of young adults with a college degree and we are still slipping further behind.

According to a June 2010 study published by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 63% of all American jobs will require some form of college education in less than eight years.2 Their projections conclude that by 2018, our workforce will fall short of employer needs by nearly 8 million workers with at least a postsecondary credential or certificate.

Even today, however, U.S. manufacturers say they can’t find enough skilled workers to fill all the jobs they have, let alone the jobs of the future. In 2005, 81% said they faced a “moderate to severe” shortage of qualified workers.3

“As the economy gets back on track over the next five years, 60 million Americans are at risk of being locked out of the middle class, toiling in predominantly low-wage jobs that require high school diplomas or less.”

–Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce

WWhy We Need to Re-Imagine Learning


Among students who graduate from high school, too few have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and careers. According to “Are They Really Ready to Work?,” a report commissioned by leading organizations and associations representing the business sector, three-quarters of surveyed employers said that incoming high school graduates were deficient in “applied skills” such as teamwork, decision making, and communication. Additionally, 40% of employers said that the high school graduates they hire lack enough of the “soft” skills they need even for entry-level jobs. Just over a fifth of high school seniors who take the ACT test meet its college-ready benchmarks in all four core subject areas—English, math, reading, and science.4

It is clear that if we want to keep America competitive in a global economy, we must re-imagine how we prepare our next generation of leaders while remaining cognizant of the skills necessary to sustain or expand business operations. Our nation thrived when our students achieved at the highest levels in the world. We must return to that standing if we are to maintain our economic prominence.


EExpanded Learning Opportunities: Offer Collaboration, Innovation, and More

Expanded learning opportunities—education programs that occur before, during, or after traditional school hours, on the weekends, or during summer recess periods—are a component of New Day for Learning and are emerging as a strategy to increase student achievement nationwide. These programs offer an opportunity to reinforce what is learned in a core academic curriculum (including English language arts, mathematics, and science) by approaching curriculum in a variety of engaging ways. These include working across content areas (for example, setting up a crime lab in which students solve a crime that reinforces science, math, and language arts skills), work-based learning opportunities, working in teams to solve problems, engaging in enrichment programs in the arts, physical education, and sciences.

Expanded learning opportunities can reinforce skills that are vital to building a workforce capable of competing globally in the 21st century—the

“employability skills” that often mark the difference between success and failure among potential employees. Research suggests that expanded learning opportunities also have a positive impact on reducing crime, raising graduation rates, and increasing productivity among workers with children. Chambers of commerce and corporations can—and do—work closely with afterschool providers and extended learning time programs to reinforce employability skills and help secure a workforce that meets local and regional needs.

Afterschool Education Programs

Afterschool education programs take place outside of the regular school day. These programs occur before school, after school, or during the summer, serving students of all ages across the K-12 spectrum. Most afterschool education programs reinforce core curriculum content through enrichment activities, such as the arts, sciences, or physical education.


According to a recent survey by the Afterschool Alliance, the number and percentage of children participating in afterschool programs has increased significantly in the past five years, with 8.4 million children (15%) now participating. That compares with 6.5 million children in 2004 (11%). Parents of the 18.5 million children (38%) not currently participating in afterschool programs say that they would enroll their children if a program were available to them. That is a significant increase from 15.3 million (30%) in 2004.5

According to the Harvard Family Research Project, “Quality after school program environments foster inquiry, critical thinking, and engagement in learning, and these features can support a range of positive academic and developmental outcomes.”6 For example, the Study of Promising Afterschool Programs compared elementary school students who participated in high-quality afterschool programs for two years with students who spent one to three days per week without adult supervision after school. The average math score increase for program participants was higher than that of 70% of low-supervision students. Moreover, a review of expanded learning opportunity evaluations found that programs focused on improving reading or mathematics achievement for at-risk students were generally successful.7

For older youth, afterschool programs can provide critical academic supports, including credit attainment and recovery opportunities. Programs can be leveraged to reach students who fail one or more courses, become disengaged, or want alternatives to the traditional path to graduation.

Summer Learning Programs

Research dating back as many as 100 years shows that students who are not engaged in learning opportunities during the summer months lose ground academically. Low-income youth are at greater risk compared with their more advantaged peers. The chief reason for this seems to be that children suffer

Snapshot: Harlem Children’s Zone

One example of a high-quality afterschool program is conducted through the Harlem Children’s Zone, an organization that takes a holistic approach to community building. Their A Cut Above program serves more than 560 middle school students, providing them with academic help and leadership development, as well as high school and college preparation. Students participate in weekly discussions and activities around subjects such as lifetime decision making, identifying values, communication and critical thinking, resume building and interview techniques, social etiquette, conflict resolution, and community service.

Each child in the A Cut Above program is assigned a student advocate who works directly with one of two dozen different middle schools. Student advocates work directly with teachers, guidance counselors, and parents to ensure that children are succeeding academically and socially. In addition to serving as tutors and mentors, student advocates also develop individual student plans for at-risk children.


a loss of learning during prolonged, educationally idle periods. In a 2001 study, titled Schools, Achievement, and Inequality: A Seasonal Approach, Karl Alexander and Doris Entwisle analyzed the effect of summer on the achievement gap between high and low socioeconomic status children. The authors examined how learning differs on a seasonal basis by monitoring the academic and personal development of a random sample of children who began first grade in 20 of Baltimore’s public schools in 1982. The experiment involved testing all students in both the fall and spring each year, covering five school years and four summers.

The findings of the study showed that children learn more and learn more efficiently when they are in school, so academic achievement gains posted while children are in school exceed gains over the summer months. Although school-year gains are not very different across socioeconomic levels, the scores of children from wealthier families improved over the summer months in both language arts and math, while students from low-income families essentially experienced no gains in language arts and suffered significant losses in math.

According to a recent survey, parents overwhelmingly support summer learning programs, and there is even greater support among parents of minority and low-income students. For example, 95% of African American, 91% of Hispanic, and 90% of low-income parents support public funding for summer learning programs.8

The many quality summer learning programs around the country are not nearly enough to keep pace with demand. Fifty-six percent of nonparticipating children (an estimated 24 million) would be likely to participate in a summer learning program, based on parent interest. What’s more, nearly half the children (46%) who are likely to participate in a summer learning program are eligible for free or reduced price lunches.9

Snapshot: GlaxoSmithKline’s Science in the Summer ProgramIn 1986, GlaxoSmithKline started its Science in the Summer program. This library-based program, located in Philadelphia, Pa., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Research Triangle Park, N.C., provides science education, featuring hands-on activities designed to teach elementary school children basic scientific concepts. The program demonstrates how science is directly related to their lives and gets children excited about studying science. Classes in bioscience, chemistry, genetics, oceanography, physical science/electricity, and simple machines are offered.

Science in the Summer™ is administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Carnegie Science Center, and University of North Carolina’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, in cooperation with participating libraries.


Extended Learning Time

An emerging trend in education is to re-examine the typical school calendar, which encompasses 180 days for six hours per day and is based on a 19th-century agrarian model that served the purpose of making children available to work on farms during peak months. In communities with effective extended learning time programs, the school day, the school week, or the school year is lengthened. An emphasis also is placed on collaboration with community partners to provide enriching programs as well as effective professional development opportunities. Looking across the country, extended learning time programs are more frequently seen in public charter schools than in district-managed public schools.

The extra time spent in school can be used in several ways. Most extended learning programs offer significant enrichment periods, allowing students to experience things like the arts and music. Many programs also provide time for students to receive tutoring and work on their homework in an environment where they have ample resources to obtain help if necessary. Other programs choose to provide block-scheduling for core curriculum subject areas (such as math and language arts), giving teachers longer periods of time to deliver uninterrupted content.

Snapshot: The After-School Corporation - New York City

Students in programs supported by The After-School Corporation—a New York City–based nonprofit organization that develops cost-effective models that can be successfully implemented by community and school partners, and supported through public funding—improved their math scores and regular school day attendance compared to nonparticipants. High school participants passed more New York State Regents exams and earned more high school credits than nonparticipants.


For more than a decade, states and the federal government have worked to provide schools and communities with more opportunities to create innovative approaches to learning. Thousands of high-quality afterschool and summer programs funded in part through the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers have provided:

• More young people with engaging learning opportunities tied to academics.

• More collaboration between schools and communities.

• More structure at the state level supporting innovation and improvement.

• More research on what works.

Since 1998, these community learning centers have provided students with a broad array of academic enrichment services, including tutoring, homework

help, and community service, as well as music, the arts, sports, and cultural activities. Funding is distributed through a formula to the states, which then administer the competitive grant program. The grants are targeted to high-poverty, low-performing school districts.10

Impact on Student Achievement

The effects of expanded learning opportunities on student achievement is an area that has been well researched over the years, with studies dating as far back as 1963. Though it is often difficult to measure the impact of these programs in isolation of many other variables, the consistency of the findings over such a prolonged period lend credence to the results.

Students taking part in expanded learning opportunities have shown significant improvement in student achievement when compared with nonparticipants. Expanded learning opportunities have also had a notable impact on improving

TThe Impact of Expanded Learning Opportunities


Snapshot: Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time InitiativeIn 2005, Massachusetts began their Expanded Learning Time Initiative with a $500,000 state planning grant program., Massachusetts 2020, a nonprofit organization, helped grow the initiative into a $17.5 million program that has allowed 22 schools serving more than 12,000 students to rebuild their educational program with 300 additional hours per year. Those additional hours represent more than a 20% increase over the traditional school calendar. The initiative predominantly serves high-risk, low-income, and minority students. The impact of extended learning time for students attending schools participating in the Massachusetts initiative has been significant. Students who received free or reduced-rate meals at University Park High School in Worcester achieved proficiency rates that were 66% higher for mathematics and 57% higher for language arts in 2004. Across 10 schools participating in the program statewide, proficiency rates rose after just one year of extended learning time by 9% for mathematics, 6% language arts, and 2% science.

graduation rates. LA’s BEST participants are 20% less likely to drop out of school compared with matched nonparticipants.11 High school students participating in Chicago’s After School Matters program—which offers paid internships in the arts, technology, sports, and communications to teenagers in some of the city’s most underserved schools—have higher class attendance, lower course failures, and higher graduation rates than similar students who do not participate in the program.12 In Boston, former Citizen Schools participants were also significantly more likely to graduate from high school in four years compared with Boston Public Schools students overall.13

Return on Investment: In 2007, economists Ludger Woessman and Eric Hanushek conducted a World Bank study analyzing the relationship between international education benchmarks and gross domestic product (GDP). They were able to show that for every one-half standard deviation that a country improves its test scores, it can expect to see at least a 1% improvement in its GDP.14

For context, the United States ranked 24th in the world in combined mathematics and science scores on the 2006 international benchmarks issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).15 A one-half standard deviation improvement would place the United States approximately 14th on these same rankings. While a direct calculation for the return on investment that expanded learning opportunities provide in this context is impossible, it is clear that their ability to raise student achievement can contribute to an improvement in the GDP of the United States.

Furthermore, expanded learning opportunities have been shown to improve graduation rates, providing another source of return on investment. It is estimated that dropouts from the class of 2008 alone will cost the nation more than $300 billion in lost wages over the span of their lives.16 These lost wages also make it increasingly likely that high school dropouts will rely


on social programs. It is estimated that the 1.2 million children who leave school without a diploma each year will cost the nation $17 billion in Medicare costs during their lifetimes.17

Impact on the Community

The traditional school day typically ends well before most parents come home from work. This gap creates a significant problem for children and families without access to educational opportunities, and society tends to bear the brunt of the consequences. The hours between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. have become the peak hours for juvenile experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and sex.18 During this time, more than a quarter of all schoolchildren in America are left to fend for themselves. This represents more than 15 million children, the vast majority of whom come from high poverty backgrounds. 19

Afterschool programs have been repeatedly shown to reduce the likelihood of children engaging in juvenile delinquency by keeping them off the streets when they are most vulnerable. A 2006 study conducted by Flavio Cunha and James J. Heckman concluded that afterschool programs, when combined with early childhood education, can reduce drug use among youth and the likelihood of their skipping school by nearly 50%.20

This problem extends well beyond the scope of solely the children involved. The parents of children who lack access to afterschool education frequently have to miss work to either care for their children or find an alternative means to ensure their safety. It is estimated that parents miss an average of eight days of work per year due to a lack of afterschool care, costing American businesses up to $300 billion per year in decreased productivity. It should be noted that this does not factor in the impact of parents who spend time at work while trying to be actively engaged in their child’s life, which would significantly increase the cost of reduced productivity.

Snapshot: Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce

Partners In Education (PIE) is a not-for-profit organization established to create a partnership between the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce and the city’s schools. Governed by a coalition of leaders from business, industry, education, government and community, PIE identifies and implements projects that promote educational excellence in preparing students for the world of work.

PIE offers the Making Right Choices program, which provides leadership training, life skills classes, tutoring for all subjects, special programs and events, job shadowing, and paid internships within student career interests. Its focus is to directly prepare students for careers and college.


Return on Investment: Increasing access to expanded learning opportunities would help reduce the $300 billion in lost productivity endured each year by businesses whose employees lack afterschool care. Further, many afterschool programs reinforce skills that American businesses increasingly look for in their employees—problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. These programs will help businesses find the talent they sorely need to sustain or expand their operations by securing the workforce that they need to compete globally.

The impact of expanded learning programs on reducing juvenile delinquency provides another source of return on investment. The University of California-Santa Barbara estimates that California sustains losses of nearly $9 billion per year on juvenile crime. The city of Los Angeles is estimated to have a $2.50 return for every $1 invested in their LA’s Best afterschool program.21 These estimates do not account for the impact of keeping children away from drugs and the associated costs of drug rehabilitation, nor do they factor in the costs of teenage pregnancy or health care costs associated with smoking—all of which have been shown to be reduced by expanded learning programs.

Snapshot: Business Coalition for Educational Excellence

The New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce Foundation partnered with local providers in writing a successful 21st Century Community Learning Center grant application. The program integrates concepts from their LearnDoEarn initiative, a powerful suite of motivational multimedia tools that help students understand why they need to take their educational opportunities more seriously. Overall, more than 200 New Jersey schools participate in the LearnDoEarn program at no cost, thanks to corporate contributions from the members of the Chamber and its committee on education, The Business Coalition for Educational Excellence.


HHow Business Can Get Engaged

When considering how to engage in moving your community to re-imagine learning and helping to ensure young people have the academic knowledge and skills they need to be successful, one can start with a few guiding thoughts that tie back to the five areas outlined at the beginning of this brief.

Does the school- and/or community-based

program try to expand how we look at

student success?

While performance on assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress on core academic content (i.e., language arts, science, and mathematics) is important to gauge student achievement and to combat persistent achievement gaps among low-income and minority students, communities and employers require far more to thrive. Our schools and our afterschool programs must make sure that students succeed in areas beyond what is tested. Programs/initiatives that stress the combination

of core academic content and applied skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork can help move communities to the next level.

Are the programs being implemented based

on research on how students learn best?

It is important to use research on student learning to guide instruction in afterschool programs in order to maximize the efficacy of the program. Business leaders can reference many resources to see if the practices being implemented in their communities are based on research. The Harvard Family Research Project, Promising Practices for Afterschool, What Works Clearinghouse, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation are all resources that provide best practices and discuss research on what is possible in education and learning.


Is there an intentional effort to work across

sectors with municipal leaders, school-based

staff, community- based organizations, and

so on?

A successful afterschool program should be responsive to the needs of the community and be actively engaged in reinforcing core curriculum content. Both objectives require coordination across community sectors. The school- and/or community-based organization should have an open door policy that welcomes input and seeks information from and partnership with those in the community.

Are there opportunities to integrate a variety

of learning approaches and places?

Each student learns best in different ways, and providing an engaging learning environment and demonstrating real-world relevancy to core curriculum content has been shown to improve both student achievement and graduation rates. Opportunities to incorporate the arts, sciences,

technology, service learning, work-based learning opportunities, and apprenticeships can amplify core academic learning and make learning relevant for students.

Is there a potential to share information

with teachers and/or before/afterschool or

summer learning staff to inform instruction?

While working directly with students is very rewarding, providing up-to-date information to teachers and/or staff in your given field can be incredibly valuable to help inform their instruction. Many teachers are unaware of the many educational and career opportunities in a given industry, and are therefore unable to transfer this knowledge and passion to their students. Providing teachers with opportunities to learn more about what goes on in the industrial sector of their community through programs like teacher externships can make a significant difference in classroom instruction.


Business can help to create and foster a seamless learning system by providing support, which can include direct donation, in-kind donations, work-based learning opportunities, or serving on provider organization boards. Businesses can offer support to local providers or work with statewide afterschool associations. (See the Resources section for contacts to your statewide afterschool advocate organization.)

Direct Donation

Most expanded learning opportunities tend to operate on a limited budget, so a number of needs often go unmet. While direct donations can help fill this void, in the current economic situation many corporations may not be in a position to provide such support.

Offering In-Kind Donations

In-kind donations provide the business community with valuable means to both improve quality afterschool programs and support their growth in ways that frequently exceed the value of any cash donation it might otherwise provide.

For example, provider organizations may not have the means to design and print materials that can help market the program to the community and highlight its value to key stakeholders, such as policymakers and other businesses. Many larger corporations employ an entire division of communications experts, and most communities have printing companies nearby. These organizations might work together to have quality, professionally printed materials designed and distributed for afterschool providers on an at-cost basis. This has the potential to not only save the provider thousands of dollars, but it may also be a crucial step in securing support from other businesses or state and local government officials.

Corporations and afterschool providers should work collaboratively to find creative methods to solve problems. Corporations can lend human resource, accounting, or legal support, which can provide an

Snapshot: Cedar Falls Community Credit Union – Cedar Falls, IowaOne excellent example of a work-based learning opportunity occurs at Holmes Junior High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. In October 2007, Cedar Falls Community Credit Union opened a student-run, functioning branch of the bank, called the Tiger Branch. The Tiger Branch offers many of the same services as other credit union branches, but all services are run solely by students and school staff. The program offers students the opportunity to learn about working in a banking environment, while also teaching critical business skills and financial literacy.


enormous benefit that most afterschool providers simply cannot afford to employ. Underutilized facilities may be leased for little or no cost to education programs to provide a venue for expanding their services. By working together, serious needs can be met simply by identifying available resources and getting creative to determine solutions.

Providing Work-Based Learning Opportunities

Work-based learning opportunities—such as apprenticeships, internships, or job shadowing—give older students the chance to experience firsthand what their future career may be like. The best work-based learning opportunities are highly coordinated between the school and the employer. Roles should be clearly defined for all parties, including teachers, supervisors, and students. Ideally, the program should reflect on a student’s curriculum, reinforcing what is learned in core academic subjects, such as math, science, and language arts.

Serving on Boards of Directors for Afterschool Programs

Expanded learning programs are often run through nonprofit organizations that face frequent fluctuations in resources from state budget cuts, declining community donations, fees for programs, and so on. Having a chamber of commerce or corporate executive serving as a member of the board of directors for an afterschool or expanded learning provider can be a great boon to the organization in providing guidance and best practice in how to manage through myriad challenges. Business leaders can provide vital information on how to raise capital, implement standard accounting procedures, and effectively market the program to generate interest among community stakeholders. They can also serve as ambassadors for the organization to the rest of the business community.

Snapshot: South Carolina Afterschool Alliance

The South Carolina Afterschool Alliance has two business leaders on their board of directors. A representative of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce chairs the board, and representatives from area businesses also serve on the board. They use their business expertise to help guide the organization and improve its capacity to serve the children of South Carolina.


CConclusion


The business community has a critical role to play in working within communities and states to re-imagine learning. Expanded learning programs offer great benefits to students, society, and the business community. Children participating in expanded learning programs have been shown to improve their achievement levels, graduate from high school at higher rates, and generally be more engaged in their education experience. Communities with access to expanded learning programs experience reduced crime rates and save significant funding by reducing the need for other social service programs. Employers find in expanded learning programs the means by which they find the high-quality workforce they need to thrive in a challenging global economy.

Expanded learning programs also give chambers of commerce and corporations an excellent way to engage local teachers and education officials and get involved in strengthening our education system. Beyond providing apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities, business leaders can provide their expertise in helping to guide afterschool programs toward success and can help education leaders identify sources of direct and in-kind support. By working together through expanded learning programs, education and business leaders can help to create family-sustaining careers for children, and a brighter economic future for local communities and our nation.


Resources

The following lists provide contact information for projects and associations that have more information on expanded learning opportunities:

New Day for Learning (CS Mott Foundation) – www.newdayforlearning.org

Make It Stick campaign Campaign – www.makeitstick.org

Afterschool Alliance – www.afterschoolalliance.orgAfter School Matters – www.afterschoolmatters.org The Coalition for Science After School – www.afterschoolscience.org Collaborative for Building After-School Systems – www.afterschoolsystems.org George Lucas Educational Foundation (Edutopia) – www.edutopia.org Harvard Family Research Project – www.hfrp.org Harlem Children’s Zone – www.hcz.org LA’s Best – www.lasbest.org LearnDoEarn – www.learndoearn.org National Afterschool Association – naaweb.site-ym.comNational Center for Time & Learning – www.timeandlearning.org National Summer Learning Association – www.nsla.org Science in the Summer by GlaxoSmithKline – www.scienceinthesummer.com U.S. Department of Education – www.afterschool.gov What Works Clearinghouse (U.S. Department of Education) – www.whatworks.ed.gov

State Afterschool OrganizationsAlabama: VOICES for Alabama’s Children – www.alavoices.org Alaska: 21st Century Alaska Learning Center – www.eed.state.ak.us/21cclc Arizona: Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence – www.azafterschool.orgArkansas: Arkansas Out-of-School Network – www.aosn.orgCalifornia: California School-Age Consortium – www.calsac.org Colorado: Colorado After School Network – www.coloradoafterschoolnetwork.orgConnecticut: Connecticut After School Network – www.ctafterschoolnetwork.orgDelaware: Delaware Afterschool Alliance – www.deasa.orgDistrict of Columbia: DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation – www.cyitc.orgFlorida: Florida Afterschool Network – www.myfan.orgGeorgia: Georgia Afterschool Investment Council – www.afterschoolga.orgHawaii: Hawaii Department of Education – www.doe.k12.hi.us


Idaho: Idaho Afterschool Alliance – www.idahoafterschoolalliance.orgIllinois: Illinois After-school Partnership – www.illinoisafterschool.netIndiana: Indiana Afterschool Network – www.indianaafterschool.orgIowa: Iowa Afterschool Alliance – www.iowaafterschoolalliance.orgKansas: Kansas Enrichment Network – www.ku.edu/~kenKentucky: Kentucky Statewide Afterschool Network – www.kychildnow.orgLouisiana: Agenda for Children – www.agendaforchildren.orgMaine: Maine Afterschool Network – www.maineafterschool.netMaryland: Maryland Out of School Time Network – www.mdoutofschooltime.orgMassachusetts: Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership – www.massafterschool.orgMassachusetts: Massachusetts 2020 Foundation – www.mass2020.orgMichigan: Michigan After-school Partnership – www.miafterschool.orgMinnesota: Youth Community Connections – www.youthcommunityconnections.orgMississippi: Mississippi Department of Education – www.mde.k12.ms.usMissouri: Citizens for Missouri’s Children – www.moasn.orgMontana: Montana Afterschool Network – www.mtafterschool.comNebraska: Nebraska Community Learning Network – www.nebraskachildren.orgNevada: Children’s Advocacy Alliance – www.childrensadvocacyalliance.comNew Hampshire: PlusTime New Hampshire – www.plustime.orgNew Jersey: New Jersey After 3 – www.njafter3.orgNew Mexico: New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community – www.nmforumforyouth.orgNew York: New York State Afterschool Network – www.nysan.orgNorth Carolina: North Carolina Center for After School Programs – www.nccap.netNorth Dakota: North Dakota KIDS COUNT! – www.ndkidscount.orgOhio: Ohio Afterschool Network – www.ohioafterschoolnetwork.orgOklahoma: Oklahoma Afterschool Network – www.okafterschool.orgOregon: Oregon Afterschool for Kids – www.oregonask.orgPennsylvania: Fight Crime: Invest in Kids – www.fightcrime.orgRhode Island: Rhode Island After School Plus Alliance – www.afterschoolri.orgSouth Carolina: South Carolina Afterschool Alliance – www.scafterschool.comSouth Dakota: South Dakota School Age Care Alliance – www.sodaksaca.orgTennessee: Tennessee School Age Care Alliance – www.tennsaca.comTexas: Texas Community Education Association – www.tcea.comUtah: Utah Afterschool Network – www.utahafterschool.orgVermont: Vermont Out-of-School Time Network – www.voicesforvtkids.orgVirginia: Virginia School Age Child Care Association – www.vsacca.orgWashington: Washington Afterschool Network – www.schoolsoutwashington.orgWest Virginia: West Virginia Statewide Afterschool Network – wvsan.ext.wvu.edu Wisconsin: Wisconsin Council on Children and Families – www.wccf.orgWyoming: Wyoming Afterschool Alliance – www.wyafterschoolalliance.org


1. New Day for Learning, “About a New Day for Learning: A Vision for the Future of American Education,” <http://www.newdayforlearning.org/about.html> (accessed August 12, 2010).

2. Anthony Carnevale, Nicole Smith, and Jeff Strohl, “Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018,” Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, June 2010, <http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/FullReport.pdf> (accessed August 12, 2010).

3. National Association of Manufacturers, “2005 Skills Gap Report,” < http://institute.nam.org/view/report,%20gap%20report,%202005,%20survey/info> (accessed September 7, 2010)

4. The Conference Board, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, Society for Human Resources Management, “Are They Really Ready to Work?” < http://www.p21.org/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF09-29-06.pdf> (accessed September 7, 2010).

5. America After 3PM, “America After 3PM Key Findings,” Afterschool Alliance, October 2009, <http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AA3PM_Key_Findings_2009.pdf> (accessed August 12, 2010).

6. Priscilla M.D. Little, Christopher Wimer, and Heather B. Weiss, “After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It,” Harvard Family Research Project, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Graduate School of Education, 2008), < http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/after-school-programs-in-the-21st-century-their-potential-and-what-it-takes-to-achieve-it> (accessed August 13, 2010).

7. Daniel Princiotta and Ayeola Fortune, “The Quality Imperative: A State Guide to Achieving the Promise of Extended Learning Opportunities. How Can High Quality ELOs Narrow the Achievement Gap?” National Governors’ Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, March 2009, <http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0904ELOQUALITYIMPERATIVE.PDF> (accessed August 12, 2010).

8. America After 3PM, “America After 3PM Key Findings.”

9. America After 3PM, “America After 3PM: Special Report on Summer,” Afterschool Alliance, October 2009, <www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/SummerKeyFindings.pdf> (accessed August 13, 2010).

10. Afterschool.gov, “How to Get Money,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, June 16, 2010, <http://www.afterschool.gov/xhtml/topic/t_29.html> (accessed August 13, 2010).

11. See UCLA National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing, <http://www.cse.ucla.edu> (accessed August 13, 2010).

12. Robert M. Goerge, Gretchen Ruth Cusick, Miriam Wasserman, and Robert Matthew Gladden, “After-School Programs and Academic Impact: A Study of Chicago’s After School Matters,” Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, January 2007, <http://www.chapinhall.org/sites/default/files/publications/ChapinHallDocument%282%29_0.pdf> (accessed August 13, 2010).

13. Policy Studies Associates, “Progress Towards High School Graduation: Citizen Schools’ Youth Outcomes in Boston,” July 2009.

14. Eric A. Hanushek and Ludger Woessmann, “The Role of Education Quality for Economic Growth,” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4122, February 2007.

15. Program for International Student Assessment, “PISA 2006: Science Competencies for Tomorrow’s World,” OECD, <www.pisa.oecd.org> (accessed August 13, 2010).

16. Alliance for Excellent Education,“The High Cost of High School Dropouts: What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools,” October 2007 < http://www.all4ed.org/files/archive/publications/HighCost.pdf> (accessed August 13, 2010).

17. Alliance for Excellent Education, “High School Dropouts in America,” February 2009, <http://www.all4ed.org/files/GraduationRates_FactSheet.pdf> (accessed August 13, 2010).

18. Marc Klaas, “Klaas Visits State Capitol to Seek Legislative Support for Crime-Prevention Programs,” Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, April 10, 2008 < http://www.fightcrime.org/state/california/news/klaas-visits-state-capitol-seek-legislative-support-crime-prevention-programs> (accessed August 13, 2010).

19. America After 3PM, “America After 3PM Key Findings.”

20. Flavio Cunha et al., “Investing in Our Young People,” November 2006, < http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/06/061115.education.pdf> (accessed August 13, 2010).

21. UCLA National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing, June 2000, December 2005 and September 2007.

Endnotes

U.S. Chamber of CommerceInstitute for a Competitive Workforce

1615 H Street, NWWashington, DC 20062

Phone: 202-463-5525 Fax: 202-887-3424www.uschamber.com/icw

MISSION - U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation · community can meaningfully engage in creating a...

Documents

Transcript of MISSION - U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation · community can meaningfully engage in creating a...