Abstract

By using recreation time as an incentive, after-school programs motivate students to complete their homework assignments. Athletes in Service AmeriCorps members have successfully implemented the Learn and Earn policies on school campuses, YMCAs, and Boys and Girls Clubs. This effective practice was shared at the 2001 National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Issue

Through Learn and Earn policies, students are motivated to complete their homework assignments during after-school programs.

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Action

Learn and Earn policies are implemented as part of after-school programs already in place on school campuses, YMCAs, and Boys & Girls Clubs. They are managed by after-school program coordinators, with the aid of Athletes in Service AmeriCorps.

After-school programs with Learn and Earn policies require students to complete their homework assignments in order to earn recreation time. Tutors are on hand to assist students. Once their homework is done, students are free to use the gym or outside recreation area.

Students often encourage each other to complete their homework so that there will be enough students to play team games during recreation time.

The programs using Learn and Earn policies strive to allow one hour of both academic work and recreational activity each day. However the priority is always with completing the day's homework assignments and that may cut into recreation time.

The program staff at each site generally consists of the site contact (i.e., a teacher or community center staff person) and three AmeriCorps members. These four staffers will supervise approximately fifty students in an after-school program.

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Context

Athletes in Service to America (AIS) is an AmeriCorps-funded academic success and violence prevention initiative. AIS corps members are all current or former varsity collegiate student-athletes. They work with children in grades K-12 providing tutoring, mentoring, diversity and conflict resolution training. In the five years of operation, AIS has enrolled over 400 corps members and provided over 400,000 hours of community service.

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Outcome

The Learn and Earn program helps reinforce expectations that students will complete their homework, as well as providing some leverage for adults in the program.Program objectives currently focus on completing daily homework assignments, but program developers are looking at ways to track quantifiable progress.Most success has been evidenced for sixth through eighth graders. Younger students don't generally have enough homework for it to be necessary, while older students rarely find recreation time enough of an incentive to interest them.

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Evidence

School and community center staff have provided positive word-of-mouth feedback regarding the effectiveness of Learn and Earn policies in their after-school programs.

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Source Documents

Related Practices

• Helping with homework and academic skill-building during out-of-school time
• Motivating students with homework stations
• Helping students complete their homework: tips for parents

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