Education Week - March 6, 2013 - 26

EDUCATION WEEK

MARCH 6, 2013

www.edweek.org

Recognizing the Impact
Of After-School STEM
By Anita Krishnamurthi

ew dispute that the afterschool community has a vital
role, and can make a crucial
difference, in promoting science, technology, engineering,
and math, or stem, learning.
Yet after-school providers are often so immersed in their work with students that
they don’t always present a unified
voice in articulating their impact.
A 2013 Afterschool Alliance
study that I led, “Defining Youth
Outcomes for stem Learning in
Afterschool,” could help change
that. By reaching consensus
among a group of after-school
experts (including 55 experienced providers and 25 after-school stem supporters,
such as funders and national and state
education policy leaders), the study lays
out three major, achievable outcomes for
youths in after-school stem programs:
• Developing interest in stem and related learning activities;
• Developing capacities to productively
engage in stem learning activities; and
• Valuing the goals of stem and stem
learning activities.
These are vital contributions that can
change students’ lives. Yet many in the
after-school community are pessimistic
that their impact will be recognized and
valued. They aren’t as confident about
affecting the in-school outcomes that
policymakers often focus on—grades and
test scores—as they are about improving
“foundational” skills, such as problemsolving and teamwork.
The after-school community needs to
reinforce the point that its role in stem
isn’t an either-or proposition, particularly
as Congress moves to reauthorize the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
and considers where after-school programs fit into K-12 funding priorities. It

takes both after-school and in-school stem
efforts, and their respective strengths,
to move toward educating a stem-savvy
workforce that can compete in the global
economy.
After-school programs are uniquely
suited to engaging students in flexible,
hands-on learning that can spark an

“

It takes both
after-school and in-school
STEM efforts ... to move
toward educating a
STEM-savvy workforce.”
interest in stem. They also build real skills
and help students appreciate the value
of science, technology, engineering, and
math for themselves and their communities. That’s why such programs are often
the home of robotics and rocketry teams
and environmental education programs,
and why after-school educators frequently
work with stem-related companies and
university professors, among others, to
give students a glimpse of future careers
in the field.
Such experiences can make all the
difference for some students and provide
a critical complement to their in-school
classroom time. Moreover, by broadening
the base of students who are interested
in stem, after-school programs increase
both the diversity and sheer numbers of
students likely to succeed in science and
math classrooms—and careers.
Another report, also released in
January by the organizations My College
Options and stemconnector and called
“Where Are the stem Students?,” reveals

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that the number of high school seniors
interested in pursuing stem-related studies in college and beyond has increased
20 percent since 2004. After-school
programs can support continued growth
in that area, as well as help address
an increasing gender gap noted in the
study, since a fundamental strength of
after-school programs is their ability to
reach underserved and underrepresented
populations.
Indeed, the after-school community has
seen increased interest from philanthropies and the business community precisely
because many funders recognize that
progress will not happen without the kind
of informal stem education that is offered
after school.
Conversations around major stem
learning outcomes (as well as a number of
indicators and sub-indicators of progress

outlined in the Afterschool Alliance’s study)
cannot wait. As the reauthorization of the
esea progresses and states devise new
assessment measures in line with the Common Core State Standards and the Next
Generation Science Standards, policies
that directly affect the funding and focus
of many after-school programs will take
effect.
At this crucial time, the outcomes and the
associated indicators of learning identified here can, I hope, give the after-school
community the clarity it needs to show
what it does best and help policymakers
understand that after-school programs are
an essential partner without which stem
learning can’t thrive. n

specific, constructive, and timely feedback.
Make feedback clear enough to be acted upon
and connected to the work of teaching.
• Recognize and address the variation
in teachers’ development trajectories
and learning needs. Teacher development
is often uneven and nonlinear, so make evaluation systems and professional-learning supports fit specific teacher experience by grade
level or subject. For example, a teacher who
has taught 2nd grade for eight years might
need targeted supports to reach the same
performance level after moving to a 5th grade
classroom.
At present, most teachers in our country lack high-quality support to improve their practice. And many districts, particularly those that serve
high-needs students, aren’t equipped
to take a comprehensive approach
to developing the majority of their
teaching force. We believe this intense focus on teacher evaluation
at the federal, state, and local levels
provides an unprecedented window of
opportunity to reinvent how we support
teachers in their profession, while simultaneously helping students achieve.

Improving professional-learning opportunities for teachers, while better than the
status quo, is necessary but insufficient.
New-teacher induction, stronger leadership, better pay, safe and supportive working conditions, more relevant preparation
programs, opportunities to lead new projects and initiatives away from the classroom, and more manageable workloads are
needed to attract talented people to teaching. Anything less will continue to deprofessionalize teaching.
As the policy du jour, teacher evaluation
holds promise. But if we really want our
teachers to succeed, let’s invest the time to
brainstorm, collaborate, and develop initiatives that go beyond teacher evaluation.
Let’s muster the courage to take sometimes
controversial stances to invest resources in
supporting teaching as a profession even
amid budget shortfalls. We urge leaders in
states and districts to take the steps we’ve
outlined and encourage those leaders who
have already begun this difficult work to
stay the course. As a new presidential term
with new and strengthened educational
priorities takes hold, so too should a new
phase for teacher-effectiveness policy. n

ANITA KRISHNAMURTHI is the director of STEM
policy for the Afterschool Alliance, in Washington. She
is an astrophysicist who formerly worked for NASA.

Using Teacher Evaluation to Grow
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

tricts and states can take right away to make
growth-oriented teacher evaluation a reality:
• Define the behaviors, knowledge,
and skills that describe effective teaching along a continuum of performance.
Many states and districts already have performance rubrics that define the skills and
knowledge necessary for effective teaching
and promote students’ college and career
readiness. Use those rubrics to drive communication around new evaluation systems and
select professional-learning opportunities.
• Encourage teachers to regularly reflect on their practice. Reflection is one
aspect of meaningful, results-oriented deliberate practice. It can increase teachers’ motivation to stick with the process and tackle
difficult instructional problems, and in this
way encourage reflection throughout the
evaluation process.
• Provide regular opportunities for
deliberate practice with focused feedback. Refocus professional development by
shifting the way districts and schools structure their supports for teachers. Use teacher
“in-service” days, coaching resources, and

other existing programs to promote instructional practice and make job-embedded professional learning centered on individual
teachers’ immediate priorities and needs.
• Provide detailed information and
feedback skill by skill to identify opportunities for growth. Encourage evaluators
to create a learning-focused evaluation system that provides teachers with high-quality,

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Education Week - March 6, 2013

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