Case Study 16A
The Core Five Essentials: A Prosocial Application in After-School Settings
Michael W. Corrigan, Philip F. Vincent, and Scott Hall
Each day, after the traditional school day ends and the last bell rings, millions of students attend after-school programs. For many, the after-school program is housed in their school. Others are picked up by various buses from day cares or youth groups (e.g., Boy’s Club, YMCA) and then taken to a central location to wait for a parent to pick them up after work. Although many of these programs offer valuable services essential to working families, from our experience as education researchers, teachers, and parents, we know that a significant percentage of programs could do much more to complement the physical, academic, and social development of our youth. This concern for the level of quality in after-school care and the support students receive became even more relevant after consulting for a state education agency on a project that asked us to focus on researching their statewide after-school programs. As a result, we decided to develop resources to help the directors of after-school programs experience greater success. This case study provides an introduction to the five core essential components that our research and field experiences led us to include in our new program called the Core5 After-School Program.
When assessing if an after-school program is doing well or not, or reaching its full potential, there are a number of questions that should be asked. For example, is the program well organized? Is it based on what research tells us is working or beneficial to child or adolescent development? Is it designed to maximize the time spent with students, or is it more reflective of a haphazard “let us manage the chaos” design? Is the child receiving an opportunity for exercise, enrichment, nutrition, academics, and social support? Or is the after-school program more of a holding center to await parental pickup, or as some after-school directors have described it, “a glorified babysitting service”? Perhaps it is something in between. Unfortunately, with limited staff either available or affordable to design and manage a higher-quality program, from what we have witnessed all too often, many programs merely encourage students to complete homework on their own before socializing, playing, or consuming media. All too often, after-school programs do not capitalize on this wonderful opportunity to provide the extra support a student needs to develop physically, academically, and socially. All too often schools overlook how this time, if approached more proactively and strategically, can provide great benefits to what we are trying to accomplish during the school day.
Figure 16.A1. Photograph by Peter C. McIntosh, Columbus, OH, pcmcreations.com.
The question we asked when designing the Core5 After-School Program was what could or should educators attempt to ultimately accomplish in the ideal after-school program? As a result of our research and exploration into what exists and is missing in after-school programs, we concluded that there are five core components that could be fit into a normal after-school day. Those five core components are: fitness, nutrition, character, enrichment, and increasing parent involvement. Although Core5 is a new program that is still evolving, we want to share how after-school programs can improve by adopting or more thoroughly infusing all or some of these five core components. First, let us address some research-based considerations that guided our thought process to develop an after-school effort focused on supporting the development of the complete child.
Research on Issues Related to After-School and Child Development
According to the Center on Education Policy (2007), in an effort to focus more on curricula, given that school success is tied to achievement tests as dictated by No Child Left Behind, many schools have reduced the amount of physical education and recess time, which used to provide children with a chance to have a break, get a little exercise, and expend that restless energy built up from countless minutes of instruction. Although we understand the urge to try and find more time to teach the core content areas one is held accountable for, it troubles us to see such valuable time for allowing children to be creative, use their imagination, and exercise being allotted to what in most cases appears to be more direct instruction of standards-based curricula. We are also concerned about the rising tide of childhood obesity in the United States, which not only impacts the physical fitness and health of our children but has implications for their academic and social development. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past thirty years, and the percentage of children aged six to eleven years in the United States who were obese increased from 7 percent in 1980 to nearly 20 percent in 2008 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged twelve to nineteen years who were obese increased from 5 percent to 18 percent over the same period. Besides the obvious benefits of physical fitness to the health of the body, we also recognize the neurological benefits that come from the exercise-induced endorphins that produce happiness and more efficient brain functions. Therefore, research supports the need for more exercise in our students’ lives, and if physical education and recess are being reduced during the school day to make room for more instruction, then after school offers a great opportunity to address such issues of concern related to lack of student exercise.
The other component that complements exercise is nutrition. We know that many after-school programs offer nutritional snacks to kids, but in our travels we have also seen many schools and programs offer not so nutritional snacks. For those that haven’t fully considered the impact of nutrition, what might happen if “snack time” actually provided a nutritional snack as well as quality nutritional information to complement the exercise? While we are developing physically fit students, which research also connects to better sense of self and a whole host of variables beneficial to education and development (Ormrod, 2011), and feeding the bodies after such exercise, we can do even more and teach them why nutrition is important. As some after-school programs have realized, taking this nutritional lesson a step further and sharing it with parents can be even more beneficial. As Epstein (1995) suggests, we should try to connect with parents. After school is a perfect time for making such connections and offering support programs that assist families with health and nutrition planning. Perhaps if we worked with the students and the parents (or guardians) on choosing and planning for positive nutritional choices within a conservative budget, families (especially lower-income parents) might make more positive nutritional choices that lead to better body and brain development. Such efforts clearly hold a strong connection to students performing better during the school day.
A comprehensive after-school program could also include lessons and opportunities to help a child develop positive social skills and better character. If the exercise and nutrition comprise about forty-five minutes of the after-school program, we still have time to utilize productively. Approximately twenty to thirty minutes could be used for structured activities that focus on addressing prosocial education issues such as bullying, social-emotional learning, and character development beneficial to better behavior and effort. As this handbook has illustrated, there is a great amount of research that illuminates the benefits of focusing on prosocial behavior.
One could also provide structured opportunities for children to receive and possibly give tutorial support to improve academic outcomes. There are a number of tutoring designs that could be used within after-school settings with a limited staff. Peer tutoring and collaborative learning are just two of the ways a limited staff could get kids focused on completing their homework assignments or working on content areas in which they need assistance or extra support.
Last, and surely not least, we decided that information could be provided to parents on how they can better support their child’s social, emotional, nutritional, physical, and academic development, because, as research has shown (Corrigan, Grove, & Vincent, 2011), parental involvement is paramount to academic and prosocial developmental success. This was our line of thought for creating an ideal after-school program. And as it turns out, there is more research to support such efforts.
A 2008 study from the Harvard Family Research Project titled “After-School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It” validates what is needed to develop quality after-school programs to enhance the educational and developmental outcomes of students. Their analysis of multiple studies indicated that academic achievement can be enhanced through after-school programs that involve such activities as quality support, enrichment activities, hands-on activities, apprenticeships, exposure to arts, recreational opportunities, and skill building. Their analysis of multiple studies also noted that “after-school programs can contribute to better food choice, increased physical activity, increased knowledge of nutrition and health practices, reduction in BMI, improved blood pressure, and improved body image” (Little, Wimer, & Weiss, 2008, p. 8). Furthermore, a large study of after-school programs (Durlak & Weissberg, 2007) addressing social-emotional development noted that
students involved in quality after-school programming designed to facilitate their social/emotional development experienced decreased behavioral problems; improved social and communication skills and/or relationships with others (peer, parents, teachers); increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy; lower levels of depression and anxiety; development of initiative; and improved feelings and attitudes toward self and school. (p. 6)
These attributes and similar others have been shown to positively impact the achievement of students (Barton & Coley, 2007; Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Sheldon & Epstein, 2005).
Core5 in Practice
So how might the more comprehensive infusion of these five core components play out in after-school programs? We understand that not every component will be utilized every day. Some days there are various enrichment programs or activities (art, music, etc.) that are planned that might take up most of the after-school day time. On some days it just might be sunny outside, and in our opinion kids should be allowed to just go out and play. This theoretical model is designed to be the foundation for an after-school program or a resource for after-school programs wanting to complement their existing efforts. What we set out to do is design the ideal program to help others create a solid after-school program that connects to the efforts and expectations we face during the school day. What we did was combine all of the good aspects of successful after-school programs and complement them with what we know from educational psychology, academic support research, prosocial education, and health and wellness. We wanted to develop a program that can be delivered over a two-hour after-school time period with maximum benefits. Being successful in after-school programming is quite dependent upon the quality of the staff as well as the staff-student ratio. Given these and other challenges, after-school directors need support to accomplish the design proposed within the Core5 After-School Program. Therefore, to actually accomplish such goals, a program must be provided the tools needed to be successful. Thus, our goal in developing Core5 was to make it easy for a director to infuse the five components.
Figure 16.A2. Photograph by Peter C. McIntosh, Columbus, OH, pcmcreations.com.
To illustrate how this might play out in a model Core5 after-school day (contained within the building of a traditional day school), we will consider the following example. This is how a day in a school using Core5 would ideally operate when a school infuses all five components.
The third end-of-school bell has just rung. The first bell was for the car riders and walkers, and the second bell was for the bus riders. The third bell was for students participating in the after-school enrichment program. The after-school program has a director, two full-time staff, and a network of community volunteers. The average daily attendance is seventy students. The after-school program makes use of the school cafeteria for multiple activities, but on this day, and indeed during many days, the gym is where the students start with the after-school exercise program. The students are greeted by the staff as they enter the gym. The majority of the students are in grades K–4, although there are around fifteen fifth and sixth graders. Book bags are placed around the edge of the gym, and the students move into their places to begin their after-school exercise program. The older students assist the younger students as they get in line, space themselves between other students, and prepare themselves for the video-based twenty-five-minute exercise program that is projected on a large screen via the computer so that all participants can see the video. Two of the teachers and two volunteers are also “participating” in the exercise to help the students maintain program integrity and also to get a little aerobic exercise for themselves! Both the staff and students are participating in the fitness program designed to exercise the heart, burn fat, and also develop strength, flexibility, and mobility for all participants.
The Core5 video’s fitness instructor and the Core5 students in the video are very engaging. If a fitness program is to be successful with kids, it must be fun and engaging. Each week the Core5 videos focus on a different theme, and this week the students and some of the staff and volunteers are taking part in the “martial arts” theme. The focus is on keeping the moves simple and having the participants moving and engaged throughout the exercise period. Students are practicing their “kicks” as well as working to develop their arm strength and balance during this segment. The teachers are standing near the primary students to ensure they are giving it their best and are respectful of the space needed for all participants. The thirty-minute fitness program time passes quickly, as most things that are fun to students do! At the end of the fitness program, students are encouraged to practice their habits of respect toward all and to keep their caring actions focused toward each other. The students then move to the cafeteria to get a snack.
The snacks are wholesome and nutritional. There are fruits and vegetables available, as well as some more traditional snack foods that have reduced fat, sugar, and salt. The drink of choice is water, although some low-fat milk is also available. Today the students are watching a Core5 nutrition video that highlights an expert in nutrition sharing helpful hints and lessons. They are also given a flyer that the teachers downloaded off the Core5 website that helps them and their parents chart the foods they are eating. The students have around fifteen minutes to enjoy their snacks before moving into the character focus part of today’s program.
Today there is a follow-up discussion planned concerning a Trevor Romain video on bullying that the group watched the day before. From opinions and insights expressed by the kids during the discussion and the looks on some of their faces, you can tell the video and discussion had an impact on their thoughts today. So, with some exercise out of the way to get the heart pumping and the endorphins flowing, a little nutrition to feed the mind and body, and a short activity to help all feel more welcome and wanted in the school, it is now time to get a little work done on academics.
Each student brings work that needs to be completed to the cafeteria. This is the tutorial and enrichment part of the program. Hopefully the students have written their homework assignments in their agendas. These are then checked as needed by the after-school staff and volunteers. The K–2 students have access to various materials including reading books, some appropriate worksheets, and some skill-building games. The third- through sixth-grade students take advantage of this time to work on their homework or receive additional tutoring from the teachers, volunteers, and other students. This school has established additional support from older students within the program who choose to tutor the younger students, as well as some students from the high school and a local college who are volunteering their time in a prescheduled time slot to assist the younger students. Student tutors may not tutor every day. Sometimes they have a fairly large amount of homework to do and choose to work on it. Other times, the tutor may choose to play games with his or her peers. This works out fine since there are staff and community volunteers who show up on a regular schedule and are available to assist the students.
From watching videos and receiving training on how to design after-school tutoring that works, the staff has developed a new system that is showing signs of success. The staff designated an area of the cafeteria for students needing assistance in mathematics and an area for those seeking assistance in reading. Those who are comfortable with the assignments and who do not need any tutoring can work independently around the tables focusing on their homework. These students are allowed to have quiet conversations as long as the staff and volunteers feel that work is being completed. Although some might think students would struggle to master this technique, these students have become comfortable, through practice tied to expectations, focusing on their homework and having quiet conversations. It is the social aspect of having a shared goal for all students to complete their homework that makes such an academic focus more attractive to students. This is a chance for older students to model for the younger students what good students do. Students who have excellent grades and have completed or gotten a good start on their homework (and feel they can complete their assignments at home) can then move back to the gym for some supervised play. On a nice day, they may go outside and play on the playground or just hang out and talk. On one recent day, a staff member was working with some students on “competitive jump-roping” while several other students were walking together around an established area marked off for mile laps. As the research shared earlier highlights, the strength of this after-school program’s efforts lies in its ability to provide physical exercise, good nutrition, character building, tutoring, and homework time for the students. In addition, the after-school staff seeks out additional enrichment activities that might be intertwined within the program. This balance is essential to ensure that the students and parents value and support the after-school time.
It is now nearly 4:45 in the afternoon. Some parents are beginning to trickle into the building to collect their children. Each parent is greeted by a staff member and in many cases by a volunteer. There is a great sense of warmth on the part of all adults toward each other. If a child is struggling with the routines, a time to talk with the child and the parents is established. At the school used in this example, it seems that parents and volunteers always have something good to say to each other. Many of the parents have had some recent economic difficulties. The after-school staff provides some material concerning “Quick Training for Jobs Now!” programs at the local community college. Several of the parents took advantage of a training program in welding that was held during the day, evenings, and on the weekends. Within twelve weeks, two of the parents had their basic welding certifications and were hired by two local firms with a decent salary and benefits. Several other parents received information and training on becoming certified nursing assistants (CNA). The staff and volunteers continually receive acknowledgment of their efforts to support the families. One parent remarked yesterday that the previous week’s handout under the College Club letterhead, “Talking with Your Child’s Teacher,” really helped in having a positive teacher–parent conference. The director responded by explaining how College Club will be meeting formally in the next week to begin a series of workshops on how to think about education after the high school years. On this day there is a handout that is given to each parent, in Spanish and English, which provides some helpful suggestions on planning nutritionally economical meals and also on how to judge television programs that are appropriate and inappropriate for young viewers. With a hug and handshakes, the parents take their children home. The last student leaves at 5:50. The volunteers and staff quickly process the day and talk about what is to be done tomorrow. By 6:00, everyone is heading home to their families.
Notice that all five elements of our Core5 after-school program were featured in this example. This does not have to be the case every day. Each program has different needs on different days. Many states or local education agencies have existing high-quality after-school programs in place that have other activities and efforts to accomplish policy-based expectations. Yet considering and planning to develop the five practices previously discussed would help any after-school program in becoming more comprehensive and educational for all stakeholders.
Continuous Improvement
Our motivation to create Core5 followed our assignment from a state department of education to provide research on their after-school programs in order to help them distinguish which programs in their state were effective or ineffective. What we found was that many of the programs were barely meeting the grade. Most were, as their after-school leaders told us, glorified babysitting services. We also found that many of the organizations paid to provide such services in off-campus settings offered little more than disorganized social gatherings, with little attention being given to how one might maximize the time spent after school. What they were not doing was tying the after-school activities into a focused effort that could complement the school day challenges. We realized that here was a perfect opportunity for this state’s schools to work more closely with many of the lower socioeconomic status (SES) kids by providing such services in a strategic manner and for such services to increase the expectations and engagement of low-SES parents. We realized during this time that if a school truly wants to increase academic achievement and bolster better behavior (reduce academic challenges), then it would make complete sense to focus on an after-school effort that addressed the five core components we have discussed.
There are millions of students under the age of fifteen who will not have a parent pick them up on the completion of the school day or greet them in the home upon their arrival by school bus or walk home. Many of the students (an estimated fifteen million) who come home after school are considered latchkey children. Millions of others participate in after-school programs until a parent can come and pick them up. It is addressing the needs of all students that is the primary focus of our theoretical model. It is our dream that after school can become such a positive developmental part of students’ educational experience that all stakeholders will want to attend and support it every day.
References
Barton, P. E., & Coley, R. J. (2007). The family: America’s smallest school. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
Center on Education Policy. (2007). Choices, changes, and challenges: Curriculum and instruction in the NCLB era. Washington, DC: Author.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Childhood obesity facts. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
Corrigan, M., Grove, D., & Vincent, P. (2011). Multi-dimensional education: A common sense approach to data-driven thinking. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2007). The impact of after-school programs that promote personal and social skills. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from www.pasesetter.com/reframe/documents/ASP-Full.pdf and www.casel.org
Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 701–712.
Henderson, A. T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
Little, P. M. D., Wimer, C., & Weiss, H. B. (2008, February). After-school programs in the 21st century: Their potential and what it takes to achieve it. Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation Research, Harvard Family Research Project, 10. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from www.hfrp.org/content/download/2916/84011/file/OSTissuebrief10.pdf
Ormrod, J. E. (2011). Essentials of educational psychology: Big ideas to guide effective teaching (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Sheldon, S. B., & Epstein, J. L. (2005). Involvement counts: Family and community partnerships and mathematics achievement. Journal of Educational Research, 98(4), 196–206.