Simple and Radical Ways to Create Safe, Supportive, and Engaging OST Settings
An excerpt from the book The Heartbeat of the Youth Development Field: Professional Journeys of Growth, Connection, and Transformation about OST programs.
Georgia Hall
Spring 2017 Afterschool Matters Journal focuses on key OST issues
The Spring 2017 issue of Afterschool Matters is now available, with articles focused on STEM, care work, and teen agency.
Sustaining Passion for the Out-of-School Time Field
Out-of-school-time (OST) professionals place great importance on a passion for their work, building relationships with children, and fostering their positive, healthy development, according to a new study by NIOST researchers. Yet financial instability and a lack of competitive pay may be hindering workers’ satisfaction and longevity in the field.
System Building, Relationships, and Quality in Out-of-School Time
The newest issue of Afterschool Matters, the national, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting professionalism, scholarship, and consciousness in the field of afterschool education, reflects on the field’s ability to help provide students with experiences outside of the classroom that give them opportunities to stretch their skills, grow friendships, and challenge their limits.
Technical Assistance Partner to U.S. Department of Education, Office of 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program
Technical Assistance Partner to U.S. Department of Education, Office of 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program
Ongoing since 2015
Principal Investigator and Project Director: Georgia Hall, Ph.D.
Funder: U.S. Department of Education, 21st CCLC Program along with Global Evaluation & Applied Research Solutions, Inc. (GEARS)
NIOST is a partner to the U.S. Department of Education, 21st CCLC Program along with Global Evaluation & Applied Research Solutions, Inc. (GEARS). GEARS and NIOST are providing the U.S. DOE with fiscal, analytic, and logistic services for grant compliance monitoring and data gathering for program improvement and provide technical expertise to SEAs to assist in carrying out their responsibilities of 21st CCLC program implementation. This work includes fiscal, analytic, and logistics support in conducting compliance monitoring through quarterly calls, and virtual and onsite reviews; providing technical expertise to grantees on topics proven to assist SEAs in successful implementation of a statewide 21st CCLC program; and logistic support for convening stakeholders.
The Lessons We Should Learn from Settlement Houses
Georgia Hall contributed an article to the Women Change Worlds blog on June 21, 2018. She wrote:
"As a country we seem to be moving far away from the nurturing and sustaining activity of the settlement houses of our past. The first settlement house, established in New York City’s Lower East Side – Neighborhood Guild – was founded by Stanton Coit, and just a few years later came Hull House in Chicago, materializing through the passionate vision of Jane Addams.
Understanding the Impact of Arts Programming on School Dropout
UPDATED! Catch NIOST at the NAA Convention in DC
NIOST looks forward to connecting with convention attendees at NAA20 Reimagined - Virtual Convention! Between April 19 and May 2, Part 2 of the convention takes place. Visit our virtual booth in the Learning Expo to learn more about our products and services, get our giveaways, and schedule an appointment to discuss your specific needs.
Be sure to catch Dr. Georgia Hall, NIOST Director and Sr. Research Scientist, in her pre-recorded Spark Session: "Read Up/Write Up/Talk Up: Building Literacy Rich Environments in OST" (found in Level 3). National Afterschool Matters fellows Brad Lademann and Sonia Toledo are also presenting workshops.
Wyoming Program Quality Practices and Implementation
Wyoming Program Quality Practices and Implementation
Ongoing since 2014
Principal Investigator: Ellen Gannett, M.Ed.
Project Director: Betsy Starr, M.Ed.
Funder: Wyoming Afterschool Alliance (WYAA)
NIOST worked with the Wyoming Afterschool Alliance (WYAA) to develop statewide Program Quality Practices (PQPs) for School Age, Afterschool, and Youth Development programs. NIOST continues its partnership with WYAA to implement these PQPs and integrate them into their quality system. This phase includes development of a User Guide for afterschool providers, creation of presentation, webinar, and website content to communicate the importance of the PQPs and their alignment within the quality system, and evaluation of the implementation efforts.
Youth in Philanthropy
Youth in Philanthropy
Ongoing since 2017
Principal Investigator: Georgia Hall, Ph.D.
Project Director: Lisette DeSouza, Ph.D.
Funder: Foundation for MetroWest
NIOST is collaborating with the Foundation for MetroWest to conduct research on youth outcomes from their Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program. YIP works with middle and high school students in one of the largest youth philanthropy education programs in the country. This mixed-methods study includes a youth survey administered before and after participation in the program, and a focus group with parents.
The goals of this research are to improve program practices and to address the following questions:
- How do youth understand philanthropy and the MetroWest community?
- What does community mean to you?
- How knowledgeable are you about non-profit organizations?
- How do you give back to your community?
- What skills develop through YIP?
- How do youth plan to change the MetroWest community?
