Joyce -
Nothing springs to mind specifically related to after-school programs,
although I am aware of many studies showing the value of pre-school programs
and early intervention programs that involve both teachers and parents.
That might be a place to start.  You might want to check into the case study
of Driftwood Public School in Toronto.  The school is in the Jane-Finch
community, a particularly low-income area.  The principal implemented a
special program that involved parents in the mid-90s to help the students to
improve their performance.

If you are able to do online searches, check out ERIC for the Clearinghouse
on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.  A keyword that might help in
your search is "resilience" or the phrase "educational resilience."

Good luck.

Nancy Snowball
(403)228-7768
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-----Original Message-----
From: Health Promotion on the Internet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf
Of JFox
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 8:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: After school activity and academic achievement

Our local school board is debating a significant increase in fees for use of
school facilities after hours.  This change will have a significant negative
impact on community run groups such as scouts and sports such as basketball
leagues, all of which run on minimal budget and are offered at no or low
cost to the community.

I plan to write to the school board trustees about this.  Is anyone aware of
any support for the importance of involvement in after school organized
activities for children and youth in particular, and a positive influence on
academic achievement?
Joyce Fox