Join Us! Afterschool Matters Webinar Series Begins Oct 26th

October 13, 2020

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time will host two virtual programs featuring out-of-school time and youth development professionals from around the country. These Afterschool Matters Dialogues will offer attendees the opportunity to learn about and discuss critical issues in the out-of-school time field. Both programs will feature presentations by National Afterschool Matters Fellows followed by a question and answer session with attendees.

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Letting Go of Normal

May 21, 2020

National Afterschool Matters Fellow Amy Franks, who works at a literacy support organization, reflects on changes brought by the pandemic and on the new ways she's finding to encourage reading at home.

Amy Franks
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NASM Fellow Writes of Childhood, Racism, and Becoming an Educator

November 19, 2019

Growing up, says National Afterschool Matters Fellow Keith F. Miller Jr., he felt “the trauma of a young boy buckling under the weight of poverty and a crippling fear of failure.” In a piece written as part of his fellowship, he shares how his experience with an educational system steeped in systemic racism shaped him and led him to his current path.

Keith Miller
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Could Out-of-School-Time Programs Help Save the Planet?

September 19, 2019

Today marks the first of two Global Climate Strikes organized by young activists this week to draw attention to the climate crisis and call for a move to renewable energy. Out-of-school-time (OST) programs have long promoted student learning that encourages awareness, critical thinking, and innovative solutions around energy and the environment. Take a look at two examples from our Afterschool Matters journal.

Globe and kids' hands
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National Afterschool Matters (NASM) Fellows Hone Skills, Build Community

September 17, 2019

Some of the most experienced and diversely talented professionals in the out-of-school time (OST) field will next week kick off a year-long fellowship to hone their leadership, research, and critical thinking skills. The third cohort of National Afterschool Matters (NASM) Fellows includes 16 members from 13 states across the U.S., who bring a range of experience in nonprofit and public OST settings.

 

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Research-based Ideas for OST Professionals from National Afterschool Matters Fellows

August 28, 2019

This month, the second cohort of National Afterschool Matters (NASM) Fellows reaches the end of its tenure as the third cohort prepares to start. Take a look at some of the work published by our first two cohorts of out-of-school-time (OST) professionals during the course of their fellowships, covering professional development, youth development, and how to design engaging OST programs.

NASM retreat Sept 2018
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National Afterschool Matters Fellowship Applications Now Open

February 14, 2019

Out-of-school-time (OST), education, and youth development professionals in mid-career are invited to apply for the National Afterschool Matters (NASM) Fellowship, a one-year leadership development program that better positions them to inform and contribute to the quality of OST programs, practice, and the broader field.

NASM retreat Sept 2018
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Call for Papers on Creative Youth Development in Afterschool Education

December 12, 2018

We are seeking articles for future issues of Afterschool Matters, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting professionalism, scholarship, and consciousness in afterschool education. Published by the National Institute on Out-of-School-Time (NIOST) with legacy support from the Robert Bowne Foundation, Afterschool Matters serves practitioners who work with youth in out-of-school time (OST) programs, as well as researchers and policymakers in youth development.

Afterschool Matters - Call for Papers
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How Out-of-School Supports Back-to-School

August 29, 2018

As children around the U.S. head back to school, we're highlighting a few articles from Afterschool Matters that show the strong connection between out-of-school-time programs and in-school (and in-life) success.

kids reading outside
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Promoting Equitable STEM Learning in Out-of-School Time

May 31, 2018

NIOST applauds the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) for its new Afterschool Tech Toolkit, which aims to help integrate technology in afterschool programs and to ensure equitable access to digital learning opportunities, especially in underserved communities. Research in NIOST's Afterschool Matters journal has long shown the importance of out-of-school-time (OST) programs in promoting technology and STEM learning, and offers further ideas for effective, equitable programming.

Science students with robot
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Black Panther and Making a Difference in STEM Learning

February 28, 2018

In the hit movie Black Panther, the fictional Wakandans of Africa establish a center in Oakland, California, to be run by two women, one of whom is a scientific genius responsible in large part for the Wakandans' technological advancements. One might assume that STEM learning, particularly for girls, will form a big part of the program at the center. In real-life Oakland, however, the afterschool STEM program Techbridge is already having a positive impact on girls' lives through equity-oriented "making" activities, as this article from a recent Afterschool Matters journal shows.

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Fall 2016 Afterschool Matters Journal Available

October 10, 2016

 

The Contributors to the Fall 2016 issue of Afterschool Matters share strategies for making a lasting impact on the field: by validating instruments that measure program quality, by creating infrastructure to support learning in specialized areas, by training OST staff in professional learning communities, and by developing school-afterschool partnerships that can foster shared vision.

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Innovative Research Findings Help Meet Diverse Needs of Afterschool Programming

December 11, 2015

December 11, 2015

WELLESLEY, MA – The newest edition of Afterschool Matters, the national, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting professionalism, scholarship, and consciousness in the field of afterschool education, is focused on inventive programs that aim to engage youth and improve afterschool offerings to ultimately build better futures for young people and support their positive development.

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National Afterschool Matters Fellowship Launched

October 22, 2015

 

October 2015 WELLESLEY, MA - The National Afterschool Matters Fellowship (NASM) launched this fall, bringing together 23 passionate and dedicated out-of-school-time (OST) and youth development professionals who, over two years, will engage in reflection, inquiry, and writing activities that position them to inform and contribute to the quality of programs, practice, and the broader field.
NASMFellows2015
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The Afterschool Matters Initiative is managed by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, a program of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College

Georgia Hall, PhD, is Managing Editor of the Afterschool Matters Journal

Wellesley Centers for Women
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203 USA

asm@niost.org
781.283.2547