Breaking Boxes: Framing the Heterogeneity of the Out-of-School Time Field

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Systematic Analysis of Opportunities for Remedy and Repair in Out-of-School-Time Research (Table 3)

Abstract

A defining feature of out-of-school time is its heterogeneity, as individual programs are designed to meet the needs of local communities. This is an asset to the field, but can pose challenges when writing policies that attend to nuances of individual programs, or when conducting research generalizable to the field at large. We blend literature review with researcher, practitioner, and young people’s feedback to present (a) a conceptual framework summarizing the field with both broad coverage and detailed representation of individual programs and (b) key practices that define and distinguish individual programs. We propose a common language for defining that field that can support the writing of policy, generalizability of research, and identification of programs within the broader landscape.

Authors

• Arielle Lentz, University of Delaware

• Jill Y. Richter, American Institutes for Research

• Tammy Kolbe, American Institutes for Research