AmeriCorps VISTA, Out-of-school time

Building effective programs for summer learning

pingv — Fri, 16 Nov 2001 01:00:00 -0600

Summer should never be a break in any child's intellectual development. Summer learning can come from reading books, singing songs, playing games, listening to stories, taking trips, and other kinds of fun activities. However, this kind of summer learning can be more difficult for children of low-income and other disadvantaged families since they have less access to material resources such as books and computers, and fewer enriching experiences such as family trips and summer camps. This effective practice is based on a paper by America Reads intern Peter Johnson (summer 2000), Building Effective Programs for Summer Learning, and offers suggestions for building a summer learning program that reaches the neediest kids, gets kids learning, and keeps going strong.

Providing summer youth activities

pingv — Fri, 09 Nov 2001 01:00:00 -0600

The New Horizon Community Development Corporation in Dallas County, Arkansas responded to the lack of youth activities in their community by providing an out-of-school program during summer break.

Implementing a statewide reading program for elementary students

pingv — Mon, 29 Oct 2001 01:00:00 -0600

The Washington Reading Corps was created in 1998 to provide intensive and immediate instruction to elementary students in schools with low reading assessment scores. The program is a unique service partnership between public, private, and community resources that unites teachers, school staff, AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA members, and community volunteers in a coordinated, statewide effort. In 1999-2000, about 6,000 volunteer tutors provided services to 26,000 students in 210 schools.

Supporting adolescent females with a leadership group

pingv — Thu, 07 Jun 2001 01:00:00 -0500

Studies have shown that a dramatic decline in girls' self-esteem occurs between the ages of eight and 18. The International Learning Program in an alternative high school in Portland, Oregon, started an after-school Girls' Leadership Group to give female students a place to speak freely and build self-confidence. This paper by AmeriCorps member Erin Trahan won honorable mention in the 1997 Northwest National Service Symposium, hosted by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL).