New Report Cites Seven Strategies to Improve Effectiveness of Extended Learning Opportunities

A new report by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) highlights the positive impact high-quality Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) have on student success and offers state leaders a blueprint to ensure ELO effectiveness.

Extended learning opportunities provide safe, structured learning environments for students outside the traditional school day. In addition to before-and after-school learning programs, ELOs include summer, evening and weekend activities and appear in a variety of formats, such as tutoring, volunteering, academic support, community service, organized sports, homework help, and art and music programs.

Citing specific examples of high-quality ELO programs from states, the report, "The Quality Imperative: A State Guide to Achieving the Promise of Extended Learning Opportunities," documents new research that confirms participation in high-quality ELOs is linked to substantial improvements in academic achievement, school attendance, student engagement, work-study habits and social and emotional development. In addition, the supports and services that high-quality ELOs provide are particularly important for low-income and minority youth, who often lack sustained access to enriching activities and academic support during nonschool hours.

The report outlines seven strategies state leaders can implement to boost the quality and success of their ELO programs:

Establish a team of key stakeholders: to envision, develop and administer a state ELO quality system: Because public funding for ELOs flows from federal, state and local entities via education, human services and other funding streams, supporting ELO quality must be a team effort.

Identify federal and state funding: sources to support ELO quality: Both the federal Child Care and Development Fund and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program have a percentage of their funds set aside for states to use to improve program quality. States also can incorporate quality set-asides into state ELO funding streams.

Set research-based ELO program standards: ELO program standards articulate the conditions that, if met, will enable programs to succeed in meeting their goals.

Measure ELO program standards and results: Measures of student outcomes and adherence to program standards enable states to determine whether programs are meeting policymakers’ expectations, and to support ELO programs as they strive for excellence.

Provide incentives to improve ELO quality: States are spurring improvements in ELO effectiveness with quality rating systems and mechanisms that tie funding to program quality.

Support a strong ELO workforce: To create a framework for professional development activities, states can establish core knowledge and competencies that delineate what ELO workers should know and be able to do.

Connect students with high quality ELOs: States can perform ELO supply and demand analyses, target resources to underserved populations, and inform parents and students about high-quality ELOs.

Download the entire report.

Sources: The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and The Council of Chief State School Officers

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