A Blueprint for Promoting Academic and Social Competence in After-School Programs (eBook)

Thomas P. Gullotta is C.E.O. of Child and Family Agency and is a member of the psychology and education departments at Eastern Connecticut State University. He is the senior author of the 4th edition of The Adolescent Experience, co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion, and editor emeritus of the Journal of Primary Prevention. He is the senior book series editor for Issues in Children's and Families' Lives. Tom holds editorial appointments on the Journal of Early Adolescence, the Journal of Adolescent Research, and the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation. He has published extensively on young people and primary prevention. In 1999, Tom was honored by the Society for Community Research and Action, Division 27 of the American Psychological Association with their Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology Award.Martin Bloom is a retired professor of social work at the University of Connecticut. He is past editor of the Journal of Primary Prevention and co-edited The Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion. He has published extensively on primary prevention and its practice applications.

Preface 7
Theory and Research Base 7
Translating Theory and Research into Practice Strategies: Templates for Program Development 8
Evaluation 10
Next Generation of Primary Prevention Programming 11
Contents 13
About the Editors 14
Contributors 16
Social Competency 19
Individual Competencies of Youth 19
Social Environments 28
The Cultural Environment 28
The Physical Environment 30
The Time Dimensions 31
What Constitutes Academic and Social Competence in After-School Programs? Some Generalizations and Advice 32
Concluding Remarks 36
References 36
How Development Affects Learning: Lessons Learned from Developmental, Cognitive, and Natural Science 39
Defining Learning and Development 39
What It Means to Learn 40
Learning Through Consequences 40
Learning Through Associations 42
Types and Depth of Knowledge 42
Intentional Versus Incidental Learning 44
Learning and Development 46
Developmentally Appropriate Practice 47
Using Developmentally Appropriate Practice to Help Children Catch Up 47
Contributions of After-School Programs to Development 48
Individualization in After-School Programming 48
Facilitating Learning 49
Lessons Learned from Developmental Science 49
Lessons Learned from Cognitive Science 51
Piaget 51
Vygotsky 52
Gardner 53
Lessons Learned from Natural Science 54
Conclusion 56
References 58
After-School Programs 61
Introduction 61
Out-of-School Time and After-School Programs 62
Who Participates in After-School Programs? 62
Public Support and Funding for After-School Programs 63
What Does a Typical After-School Program Look Like? 64
Some Program Examples 65
Are After-School Programs Effective? 67
The Academic and Social Benefits of After-School Programs 67
What Makes an After-School Program Effective? 69
From Effective Research to Effective Practice 70
The Usefulness of a Logic Model 71
Guidelines for Running an Effective After-School Program 72
Involve Parents in Program Planning and Activities 73
Assess the Needs of Program Participants 74
Secure Adequate Resources to Meet Your Goals 74
Do Not Underestimate the Importance of Adequate Staff Training and Supervision 74
Establish Strong, Effective Leadership 74
Create a Balance Between Structure and Freedom Across Program Activities and Scheduling 75
Offer a Variety of Enrichment Activities 75
Effective Skill-Building Is SAFE 75
Strive to Build Close Interpersonal Relationship Between Staff and Youth 76
Monitor Progress Toward Program Goals Periodically, and Adjust to Improve Program Practices 76
Conclusion 77
References 78
Promoting Social and Emotional Development in Childhood and Early Adolescence 81
What Is Distinctive About the After-School Context as an Arena for Intervention? 82
What Is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? 83
Developmental Considerations in SEL for Ages 5-13 85
Best Practice Tips for Designing After-School Intervention to Build SEL 88
After School Activities that Promote Social and Emotional Learning 89
Early Elementary School Activity 89
Feelings Identification 89
Mingling Exercise 90
Middle Childhood Activity 91
Respect and Tolerance 91
Middle Childhood Activity 92
Anger Management 92
Pre-adolescent Activity 93
Values 93
Optional Activity Extension 94
Concluding Thought 94
References 94
Mentoring and Its Role in Promoting Academic and Social Competency 97
Mentoring as a Positive Youth Development Strategy 98
Theoretical Models of the Mechanisms of Mentoring 99
Structural Settings: Contexts for Mentoring 100
Mentoring Research Findings 101
Child Outcomes 101
Risk and Process: Influences on Mentoring Outcomes 103
Results within Program Delivery Models 105
Why Haven’t We Done a Better Job Studying Mentoring? 108
Mentoring Practices: Adhering to National Standards and Meeting Community- and Population-Specific Needs 109
Recruitment and Screening 109
Orientation and Training 110
Ongoing Support and Retention 110
Integration with Networks of Other Services 111
Termination Policy 111
Program Evaluation 112
Resources for Mentoring Programs 112
Key Issues for Mentoring Program Development, Implementation, and Improvement 113
Program Statement of Purpose 113
Recruitment 113
Screening 113
Training 114
Matching Policy 114
Match Support/Retention 115
References 115
Service-Learning: Learning by Doing for Others 119
What Is Service-Learning? 119
Community Service Versus Service-Learning 120
Research on Service-Learning 121
Benefits for High School and College Students 122
Benefits for Middle School Students 123
Long-term Effects of Service-Learning on Students 124
Benefits to Schools and the Local Community 125
Benefits to the Community 125
How to Achieve a Successful Service-Learning Program: Some Practical Advice 126
Planning 126
Implementation 128
Evaluation 129
Helpful Electronic Resources 132
Conclusion 132
Appendix 133
References 134
A Blueprint for Promoting Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning: The Salmon Program 137
Session I: Developing the Program 139
Session II: Establishing a Discipline System 154
A Process for Establishing Rules 158
Decision Making 160
Consequences for Rule Violation 162
Session III: Promoting Prosocial Behavior 168
Education 169
Promoting Social Competency 170
Natural Caregiving 174
Systems Intervention 175
Environmental Change 177
Appendix 178
Structure of the Salmon Program 178
Sample Logic Models for After-School Programs 180
References 240
Postscript: A Promising Beginning 241
Sample 241
Measures and Hypotheses for Group 241
Results for Group 242
Discussion 242
Sample 242
Measures for Group 243
Results for Group 243
Discussion 244
Summary 245
Index 247