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A Framework for Citywide Informal Learning Ecosystems and Vision for Supporting Equitable Cross-Context Movement

Sat, April 29, 2:45 to 4:15pm, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 221 D

Abstract

Out-of-school time (OST) programs in the U.S. have grown in size, scope, and diversity of offering over the past few decades (Afterschool Alliance, 2014; Vandell et al., 2015). Some of this growth is due to changing trends in parental labor and the nature of neighborhoods (Fuchs et al., 2003), and some relates to the evolution of technology and education. Although there are national policy agendas calling for coordinated and equitable learning ecosystems to facilitate learning pathways across in-school and OST contexts (see NSF, 2010), the current landscape of programs for youth is marked by fragmentation, with resources, data, and accountability spread across systems (Pittman, 2012). Alongside this are conflicting opinions about what children and youth should be doing in their OST time, entailing multiple views on the purposes, goals, and program offerings of OST programs (Halpern, 2003). These issues pose enormous challenges for programs and citywide learning ecosystems to realize their potential for impacting youth.
We propose a conceptual framework for considering citywide learning at a systems level. We present two dominant and often conflicting logics in the field of OST programs. By logics we refer to the belief systems in a given field that constitute identities, specify the appropriateness of actions, and inform schemas that guide interpretation and action (Russell, 2011). We refer to one as the developmental logic, which has roots in in childcare, positive youth development, and academic support traditions (Browne, 2015). The alternative content logic operates from a technology-driven, interest-based, ‘marketplace of ideas’ perspective, and primarily targets the improvement of art, science, and technology programs (e.g., Ito et al., 2013). Both must contend with the academic logic that dominates the school-based education arena. The conflict between these logics in the OST field has important implications for equity. The content logic has produced programs like robotics clubs, ballet, and computer science courses that often are attended by already highly resourced youth; whereas the developmental logic has produced academic remediation-based programs and neighborhood-based youth centers that serve more marginalized communities.
Building from these logics, we present a conceptual vision for a planned, citywide ecosystem for learning. We distinguish general afterschool programs from enrichment programs and describe a vision in which the two types (and various hybrids) may complement each other. This vision has important implications for professionalization of the youth workforce as centralizing enrichment in content-specific programs provides the opportunity to pursue interests and develop expertise relevant to a career path. We root this vision in illustrative examples by examining demographic and programmatic data from local networks of general and enrichment programs. Evidence has revealed that there are conflicting ideas, practices, and inter-organizational barriers that prevent citywide pathways (Akiva, Kehoe, & Schunn, 2016; Kehoe, Russell, & Crowley, under review). We argue that the vision for citywide learning that is accessible to all communities will not naturally emerge, but rather requires strategic action guided by intermediary actors to support inter-organizational partnerships and knowledge sharing. We draw on systems-theory literature to identify strategic opportunities to realize this vision.

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