Leadership teams from five states received a total of $250,000 in grants to support after-school and summer learning opportunities for students through the Supporting Student Success: The Promise of Expanded Learning Opportunities initiative.
Grant recipients included: the University of Maine at Farmington; the Minnesota 4-H Foundation; the After-School Corp. in New York; the Willamette Education Service District in Oregon; and the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation in Wisconsin.
Composed of state legislators, state education officials, governors’ policy advisers and other stakeholders, the leadership teams will also receive about a year-and-a-half of consulting services from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center).
In Maine, the state will use the grant to advance school-linked expanded learning opportunities (ELOs). Minnesota will improve coordination between schools and after-school and summer programs, and will strengthen ELO quality and accountability. New York will develop state ELO policies that boost levels of student engagement and achievement and that improve high school graduation rates. Oregon will establish a statewide ELO data system and strengthen the ability of ELOs to support student health and wellness. Wisconsin will establish a cross-agency funding and governance structure for ELOs and will improve the effectiveness of ELOs through programs and quality incentives.
The Supporting Student Success initiative is made possible with support from the C.S. Mott Foundation. NCSL provided funds for the grants.
