Enriching activities after school - Miami-Dade County Public Schools

School Administrator, March, 2003

An after-school activities program that is having a beneficial effect on its middle-school participants has made Miami-Dade County Public Schools this year's Florida winner of The Civic Star Award.

The Miami-Dade program is a partnership between the district and South Florida Inner-City Games, which is the local licensee of the national Inner-City Games Foundation, chaired by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The program enables at-risk middle-school students to take part in academic enrichment activities, arts and cultural classes and life-skills workshops two hours a day five days a week when school is in session. It also offers students tutoring and homework help. A summer camp session is held during summer school.

Student participants are recruited from the school population at the beginning of each school year. School administration and counselors work carefully to assure inclusion and identify students at particular risk. The program's capacity is 1,200, and that number of students participated last summer.

The school district provides the staff and facilities for the program at 12 middle schools. South Florida Inner-City Games provides the enrichment activities and other resources. The activities are designed to enhance students' academic achievement, enrich children's lives, improve social skills, provide recreation and expose students to a wide variety of technology and creative arts options.

A three-year program evaluation, now in its second year and being conducted by a professor at the University of Miami, is under way Data collected so far show that program participants academic and conduct grades improved over the course of the 2001-2002 school year.

At the three schools participating in the baseline year evaluation, staff and students were positive and enthusiastic about the program. Students often noted that their grades had improved as a result of the program. At the end of the school year, the majority of students were rated by their teachers as respecting adults mostly or very much and as having a good attitude toward school, either mostly or very much.

TO LEARN MORE CONTACT:

1450 NE Second Ave., Room 726A Miami, FL 33132

Merrett R. Stierheim, Superintendent Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Phone: 305-995-1430

Web: www.dadeschools.net