Quality standards are a foundational aspect of an afterschool system, where the goal is to ensure that all youth have access to high-quality programs. The resources on this page are intended to support networks that are developing, implementing, and refining statewide quality standards.
We share a wide variety of tools and resources to help you build, sustain, and expand quality afterschool systems in your state. The tools and resources include formalized systems for assessment against a quality framework, research-to-practice briefs on quality programming, tools for program staff to apply best practices in their ...
Many innovative workforce training programs have sought to make a meaningful impact on low-income individuals’ lives through training and employment supports, though most fail to show long-term positive effects. AIR is seeking to partner with best-in-class sectoral programs to provide technical assistance and research expertise that strengthen their programming and ...
Samantha Sniegowski is a senior researcher working on afterschool and expanded learning initiatives with the Learning Supports Network at AIR. She is responsible for coordinating and monitoring data collection activities, conducting data analyses, writing reports, and project coordination. Sniegowski’s current projects include Chicago Public Schools Community Schools Initiative evaluation; Texas, ...
The Guide for Reflecting on Instructional Depth, or GRID, helps teachers reflect on their instruction, identify areas where they can be more student-centered. The four-part video GRID series provides step-by-step guidance for determining students’ depth of mathematical justifications and who is driving those justifications. ...
While best-in-class sectoral programs have successfully raised participants’ long-term earnings, far too few individuals are able to reap the benefits of participating in these programs. The PROMISE Center at AIR is dedicated to learning what may work to help integrate these underserved populations into a vital workforce ecosystem. ...
At this stage in the quality standards development process, you have brought together a collaborative group of stakeholders to research and design a set of afterschool quality standards, and you have successfully navigated the approval process in your state. You are now ready to share the standards with the field ...
Technical assistance and professional development in adult learning helps educators implement innovative instructional models and research-based practices. AIR supplies expertise in these areas and provides support to states for meeting accountability reporting requirements and improving the quality and usefulness of their program data. ...
The Plan, Do, Study, Act Process is central to the improvement of instructional routines. Watch one of the Better Math Teaching Network members in real time and in a real classroom setting introduce the Plan, Do, Study, Act, or PDSA, process.
Credentials certify performance based on a set of defined skills and knowledge and allow established or emerging staff to be recognized for their competence and commitment to professional growth. To date, though research suggests that well-trained staff, such as those with credentials, are more likely to deliver high quality programs, ...