To my fellow educators, I encourage you to think beyond the traditional boundaries of what you've been taught. Whether you're working within a school district, a community-based organization or in another capacity around the country, I offer the following advice:

Start with students. Begin by learning each child's name, face and story. Build spaces of belonging where all students have mirrors and windows to see themselves and learn about others. To build these spaces, you need staff who see their role as one of mentorship and shared ownership. These spaces are built for and with students.
Ground the work. Rely on the existing body of research showing that high-quality afterschool programs result in improved traditional metrics like attendance, discipline and academic performance. Leverage the wisdom and guidance of the California Department of Education's 12 Quality Standards, the Science of Learning and Development, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Universal Design for Learning to create high-quality programs after school.
Create new measurements of success. If "success" has proven to be elusive during the school day, capitalize on the flexibility of expanded learning, change the context and put it within reach. Resist the temptation to default to how you have told the story of success and impact in the past. Consider the power of storytelling through ethnographic and phenomenological studies and other means of conveying Street Data, to elevate voices and share the impact to drive systemic change.

The story of expanded learning is in its early chapters, but it already has momentum. Change may be incremental, but I believe the movement can maintain forward motion one child and one relationship at a time.

Instant Insights /

Expanded learning is one way to rethink K12 success

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