Related Publications
Publication
Creating Safe Spaces: Promoting Physical and Emotional Safety
While multipurpose out-of-school time (OST) organizations provide supportive environments for youth development and social-emotional growth, in the context of the arts, safety requires an approach that mitigates physical harm and creates an emotionally safe space…
Publication
Building Bridges: Partnerships, Parents, and Pathways in Youth Arts
Multipurpose out-of-school time (OST) organizations partner with families to support children’s needs and gather input on programming. These organizations also collaborate with community groups to access resources, enrich content, and bolster sustainability. But because partnerships…
Publication
Moving Beyond Popsicle Sticks and Googly Eyes: How Current Art Equipment and Technology Can Improve Arts Programming
In many multipurpose out-of-school time (OST) organizations, “art” supplies are typically markers, construction paper, and glue with googly eyes, with popsicle sticks thrown in for fun. But while arts- and-crafts activities have their place, they…
Publication
Amplifying Youth Voice: Input, Leadership, and Agency in the Arts
While youth voice is important in arts-focused youth programming, many multipurpose out-of-school time (OST) organizations default to traditional crafts or adult‑designed projects. The result is limited opportunities for youth to make decisions, lead, or bring…
Publication
Educational Outcomes for Boys & Girls Club Members in California, 2021-22
Research has consistently shown that participation in high-quality out-of-school time programming has a positive impact on participants’ social and emotional development, academic achievement, and rates of engagement in risky behaviors. The research summarized in this…
Publication
Responding, Reimagining, Realizing: Out-of-School Coordination in a New Era
The Wallace Foundation commissioned Research for Action and McClanahan Associates to study how out-of-school time intermediaries (OSTIs) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the role they could play in supporting communities moving forward. Citywide out-of-school…
Publication
Virtual Approaches Hold Promise for Expanding Afterschool Art Programming
Four Boys & Girls Clubs implementing high-quality art skill development classes for tweens and teens experimented with five different virtual approaches that hold promise for expanding programming. This brief describes three approaches that reach young…
Publication
Top 5 Insights from RFA’s Community Research Partnership: Becoming a Community-Engaged Research Organization
We at Research for Action are committed to becoming a community-engaged research institution, with the goal of having our work be grounded in principles of community empowerment, collaboration, and social change within K-12 education. We’re…