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Research shows that adolescent participation in organized out-of-school time (OST) programs (e.g., after-school programs) is linked to positive developmental outcomes. However, whether OST program practitioners use this research to inform their decision making is unclear. Therefore, a science-to-practice gap may exist in OST programs. To assess the use of research, 21 OST program directors from the United States were interviewed. Directors identified the components of their programs (i.e., goals and activities) and rationales for choosing each component. Direct questions about the use of research in making program decisions were asked. Findings revealed that use of empirical research was seldom mentioned. Practitioners referred to research in other terms including attending trainings, online searches, and learning from other programs. This suggests there is a science-to-practice gap in OST programs, but also points to several ways that researcher-practitioner partnerships may narrow the gap.

This paper examines the relation between children's summer activities before fourth through sixth grade and their vocabulary knowledge in fifth grade and at age fifteen using the NICHD SECCYD dataset (N = 1,009). We used OLS regression and propensity score analyses to understand how children's summer reading, library visits, participation in enrichment classes, and unsupervised time predicts their vocabulary knowledge. Propensity score matching and OLS analyses show that time spent reading predicts vocabulary during the following two years, and high levels of time allocated to reading across three or more summers in middle childhood predicts vocabulary knowledge at age 15. OLS analyses suggest a relationship between library visits and vocabulary knowledge. There is no short-term relationship between enrichment classes and vocabulary knowledge, although our OLS analysis demonstrated that consistent enrollment in summer enrichment classes over three years predicted improved vocabulary. Unsupervised time predicted poor vocabulary in both the short and long-term.

Expanded learning time (ELT) refers to a longer school day, week, or year. ELT schools are becoming common in the United States and aim to provide all students with additional opportunities for learning, recreation, and enrichment. ELT schools differ from afterschool programs that take place immediately following the regular school day and serve a select group of students. Research on ELT schools has tended to focus on academic outcomes. This study examines whether extended school time relates to norm-breaking (e.g., cheating) and antisocial behavior (e.g., violence). A nationally representative sample of 496 schools from the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data was used and involved students in Grades 4 and 8. Results showed a longer school day predicted high norm-breaking behavior for 4th-graders. For 8th-graders, a longer school year predicted high norm-breaking and antisocial behaviors. Results underscore studying social outcomes to evaluate ELT schools.

Joseph Mahoney, Joseph Durlak, and Roger Weissberg compare results from four large-scale meta-analyses of student outcomes related to participation in universal, school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. Their examination includes 356 research reports with rigorous designs and outcome data at post or follow-up from hundreds of thousands of K-12 students within and outside the U.S. on a range of SEL programs. The reviews indicate that universal school-based SEL programs produce positive benefits for participating students on a range of important behavioral and academic outcomes that are evident immediately following the end of intervention and that persist during various follow-up periods. Therefore, current data indicate that SEL programs are both feasible and effective in a variety of educational contexts in many countries around the world.

International studies suggest that the U.S. ranks below many Asian and European countries in the 21st century in terms of mathematics and science achievement. Few have looked beyond the classroom to understand these differences. Absolute and relative time spent in various out-of-school time (OST) activities may provide one explanation. This study used the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which includes data on the OST and achievement of 8th graders from nearly 50 countries worldwide. OST variables included technology-based (e.g., using the internet), labor (e.g., chores), and leisure activities (e.g., sports, playing with friends). Students completed an internationally standardized mathematics and science achievement test. Results for absolute OST suggest that, beyond the large contribution of a country's human development index, OST is an important predictor of achievement. Further, relative OST is an important predictor, such that, those countries whose profile of time use was highest in technology also had the highest achievement scores. Future research should consider a broader view of education and related contexts that includes understanding the variability in OST use both within and between nations.

Although behavioral management is one of the most challenging aspects of working in an afterschool setting, staff do not typically receive formal training in evidence-based approaches to handling children's behavior problems. Common approaches to behavioral management such as punishment or time-out are temporary solutions because they do not identify and change the factors causing the problematic behaviors. In some cases, these approaches increase or intensify undesirable behaviors. This chapter discusses one approach to behavioral management--functional behavior assessment--that research proves effective in eliminating or reducing the occurrence of behavior problems in educational settings.

Concern exists that youth who spend a lot of time participating in organized out-of-school activities (e.g., sports) are at-risk for poor developmental outcomes. This concern--called the over-scheduling hypothesis--has primarily been assessed in terms of adolescent adjustment. This longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of 1,115 youth (ages 12-18) assessed long-term relations between intensity of participation during adolescence and adjustment at young adulthood (ages 18-24). Time diaries measured intensity as hours per week of participation. Results showed that, controlling for demographic factors and baseline adjustment, intensity was a significant predictor of positive outcomes (e.g., psychological flourishing, civic engagement, and educational attainment) and unrelated to indicators of problematic adjustment (e.g., psychological distress, substance use, and antisocial behavior) at young adulthood. (Contains 2 tables.)

Through secondary data analysis of a nationally representative sample, the study explored the relations between adolescent summer arrangements and associated developmental outcomes (well-being, externalizing behavior, body mass index, and academic performance). The study also examined if these relations were mediated by parental knowledge of youth whereabouts and activities, as well as if these relations differed for subgroups of youth regularly involved in self-care, parent care, or other adult care during the summer. Controlling for individual and demographic characteristics and prior measures of outcomes, summer organized activity participation was related to higher emotional well-being, academic performance and lower externalizing behavior and body mass index the following school year. Moreover, the relation between summer organized activity participation and adolescent outcomes was mediated by high levels of parental knowledge for emotional well-being, reading, math, and externalizing behavior, but not obesity. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure, and 2 footnotes.)

This longitudinal study identified common summer care arrangements for adolescents and examined whether those arrangements predicted risk for obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) [greater than or equal to] 85th percentile for age and gender) the following school year. Participants were a nationally representative sample of 1766 adolescents ages 10-18 from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics-Child Development Supplement. Results showed that, beyond measures of BMI taken before the summer and several demographic aspects known to predict obesity, youth whose summer arrangements involved regular participation in organized activities (e.g., sports) showed significantly lower risk for obesity than other youth. This was most evident during early adolescence. Youth whose regular summer arrangement was predominated by parent care without organized activity participation showed the greatest risk for obesity. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Participation in after-school programs (ASPs) "can" positively affect the development of young people. However, "whether" ASPs are beneficial depends on program quality. Although many factors influence the quality of a program, the competencies of adult staff who lead ASPs are a critical determinant. Unfortunately, ASP staff members often do not receive the education and training needed to provide high quality programming. This article discusses how training provided through university-community (U-C) partnerships can help to fill this educational void. After summarizing existing research on staff development for educators, the role that U-C partnerships can play in providing a realistic and viable means to developing the competencies of ASP educators is described and examples of two model programs are provided. Challenges and future directions for the development of the after-school workforce are discussed. (Contains 1 footnote, 1 table and 1 figure.)

This three-year longitudinal study investigated associations between residential mobility, neighborhood crime, and aggression during middle childhood. Participants were 460 children (M age = 6.9 years, SD = 1.1) residing in a disadvantaged city in the Northeastern United States. Residential mobility was determined from school records, teachers provided ratings of aggression, and city police reports of call complaints provided information on neighborhood crime. Neighborhoods were classified as average or high crime. Results showed that mobility and neighborhood crime were significantly (p less than 0.05) related to boys' (but not girls') aggression. Boys' aggression was relatively high if they: (1) moved; (2) had stable residence in a high-crime neighborhood; and (3) both moved and lived in high crime. Net of demographic characteristics and baseline adjustment, boys who moved from an average to high-crime neighborhood showed particularly high aggression. (Contains 2 footnotes, 2 tables, and 3 figures.)

This longitudinal study evaluated associations among official rates of neighborhood crime, academic performance, and aggression in a sample of 581 children in 1st-3rd grade (6.3-10.6 years old). It was hypothesized that the influence of crime depends on children's unsupervised exposure to the neighborhood context through self-care. Average weekly hours in self-care were trichotomized into low (0-3), moderate (4-9), and high (10-15). Moderate and high amounts of self-care were linked to increased aggression and decreased academic performance for children from high-crime areas (11,230 crimes per 100,000 persons) but not average-crime areas, when the authors controlled for neighborhood, family, and child covariates. In high-crime areas, academic outcomes were more favorable when self-care occurred in combination with after-school program participation.

This 2-year study assessed program-level differences in after-school program (ASP) engagement in relation to child competencies (effectance motivation, social competence, school grades) and program quality and content. Participants were 141 children (M age = 8.4 years) who attended 9 ASPs in an urban, disadvantaged city in the United States. Measures of competence were determined from classroom teachers' ratings, and program engagement, quality, and content were assessed primarily through observation. Results from a hierarchical linear model showed that program-level differences in engagement predicted children's social competence and motivation (but not school grades) in a linear, positive direction (p less than 0.05). This relation held after modeling several selection factors and prior competence. Engaging ASPs were also significantly higher in program quality and tended to devote more time to enrichment activities and less time to homework and non-skill-building activities.

Passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 ushered in a new era of accountability for educational institutions and social programs in the United States. Federal funding became tied to demonstrated results on the basis of scientifically based research. In this paper we recount the science-to-policy translation process for one of the first studies considered under this new mantra, namely, the national evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers after-school programs. The recount highlights a range of challenges, problems, and debates in the process, and discusses several lessons learned from this example that may be useful for the science-to-policy translation process in general, and for future studies under the NCLB Act specifically.

This longitudinal study assessed the role of afterschool program (ASP) participation in the development of child obesity and peer acceptance in a sample of 439 children. Most participants lived in poverty and were Hispanic or African American. Measurements of height and weight determined obesity status and peer acceptance was assessed through teacher and peer responses to written surveys. Rates of obesity were 22% at baseline (M age = 4.9) and 29% at follow-up (M age = 8.1). Peer acceptance was significantly lower for obese children than nonobese children. Children who became involved in ASPs were significantly less likely to be obese at follow-up than nonparticipants. Both obese and nonobese ASP participants showed significant increases in peer acceptance over time. (Contains 6 tables, 1 footnote, and 3 figures.)

This study involves a two-year longitudinal investigation of adolescent participation in unstructured youth recreation centres and the development of antisocial behaviour. Participants were 1163 adolescents who represented 92% of all eighth-grade students in the town of Orebro, Sweden, during the fall of 1999. Antisocial young people and those with poor relations to parents or school were likely to become involved in the centres. After controlling for these selection influences, the frequency of youth centre participation was associated with a significant increase in antisocial behaviour over time for boys and girls. Youth centres that aggregated many antisocial peers together were particularly likely to promote the antisocial behaviour of new attendees. The findings are consistent with prior theory and research on youth development and out-of-school activities. Activities that lack structure and skill-building aims appear to attract high-risk adolescents and the resulting social environment is conducive to the development of antisocial behaviour. (Contains 3 tables, 2 figures and 1 footnote.)

In this article, the authors consider the conditions under which participation in organized out-of-school activities contributes to positive development. They center their discussion on what is known about the "processes" in organized activities that affect the development of young persons. By using the term "organized activities", they wish to make clear that their focus is on out-of-school activities characterized by structure, adult supervision, and an emphasis on skill building. The authors begin by highlighting some of the basic risks for youth whose out-of-school experience involves a great deal of unstructured leisure. They then contrast these risks with the developmental opportunities provided through participation in organized out-of-school activities. In doing so, they outline the features of organized activities thought to account for their developmental impact and review the existing literature on activity-related processes and the psychosocial adjustment of young persons. Throughout this article, the authors discuss implications of this knowledge base for developing effective out-of-school activities and suggest areas for future research in the field. (Contains 65 notes.)

Achievement-related beliefs and behaviors of parents of 41 economically disadvantaged African American youth and the relations among parental factors and children's academic self-concept and achievement were studied. Significant and positive relations between parental belief and behavior measures are discussed in light of models of family influence on academic achievement. (SLD)

The authors summarize findings of two major meta-analyses that examined the influence of universal, school-based SEL (social-emotional learning) programs on student outcomes in six domains related to social-emotional skills and behavior and academic achievement. Major findings indicated that participating in SEL programs had positive effects on academic, social, and life outcomes for students.