Strategic Use of Summer and Afterschool Set Asides Community Resources
The Strategic Use of Summer and Afterschool Set Asides Community of Practice (Summer and Afterschool Community) is comprised of cross-agency teams from states and the United States Department of Education that are committed to demonstrating the lasting benefits of summer and afterschool stimulus funding for youth, families, and out-of-school time systems. Teams convene a broader group of local education agencies and community partners with whom they can test out strategies and new tools and resources. Together, they address problems of practice by identifying, testing, and reflecting on strategies to promote strategic and sustainable use of set aside funding.

Community Co-Leads

Hillary Oravec

Brenda McLaughlin

Brytani Cavil
Year 2 Schedule of Activities
Community meetings will be scheduled from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT
- Wednesday, Nov 16 - State of the State
- Thursday, February 2 - Data to Promote Access, Quality, and Outcomes
- Thursday, April 13 - TBD
- Thursday, June 8 - Preparing for Summer and Sustainability
- Thursday, September 14 - TBD
Year 2 State of the State
Wednesday, Nov 16 @ 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Driving Questions:
- How do the varying approaches intentionally or inadvertently impact sustainable access across and within SEAs?
- Which strategies are most essential for long-term sustainability of our systems to promote access, quality, outcomes?
Objectives
- Make connections between the strategic use of ESSER|ARP funds in peer state structures and partnerships.
- Identify states ESSER|ARP spending projections and progress
- Gain insight on states opportunities for influencing summer access, quality, outcomes, and sustainability in the year ahead.
Agenda
- Welcome
- Frameworks to Ground our Work
- State of the State Presentations
- Meaning Making
- Looking Ahead: Our Work through February 2
External Resources
-
ED APR ESSER Methodology and Allocations
-
Edunomics Lab - ESSR Expendure Dashboard
State data including expenditures by district
-
ED ARP ESSR Fact Sheet
-
ED Letter Dated May 13, 2022
The letter pertaining to school infrastructure projects. Upon written request from SEA, USDOE may approve up to 18 months beyond the obligation period to spend ESSER III funding on infrastructure projects. Funding must still be obligated by 9/30/24 but instead of needing to be spent by January 2025, approval may be granted to extend the spending timeline to April 2026.
-
Afterschool Alliance - ARP Releated/Funded TA Through State Afterschool Networks
-
2022 School Pulse Panel
-
Arizona On Track
-
Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence
-
Hawaii Summer Learning Dashboard
-
Oregon Summer Learning Best Practice Guide
-
Oregon Department of Education Summer Learning Toolkit
Year 2 Data to Promote Access, Quality, and Outcomes
Thursday, February 2 @ 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Driving Questions:
- What do we know about equitable access and use of funds?
- What do we know about the quality of programs, partnerships, and student/stakeholder experiences?
- What do we know about the impact of programs and student outcomes?
- What strategies could we consider promoting greater equity of access, quality, outcomes?
- How can we set up and/or improve a continuous improvement cycle at the state level?
Objectives
Agenda
- Welcome
- Research & Framing
- Peer Exchanges – Data Dives and Artifacts
- Meaning Making
- Looking Ahead: Our Work through April 13
Year 1 Partnerships and Staffing to Achieve Scale
Driving Questions:
How are states, LEAs, and community agencies partnering to provide programming at scale? How can we staff our programs with high-quality instructors during a period of high churn and burn out?
CCNetwork Resources

After Action Reviews for Summer Learning Programs

Establishing Data Sharing Agreements Between Community Based Organizations and Schools

Working Together: Recruiting, Training, and Supporting Staff Members for Impactful Summer Learning
External Resources
-
Furman University - South Carolina Afterschool Leaders Empowered (SCALE)
The SCALE program provides summer and afterschool learning leaders with tools to maintain and build high-quality, evidence-based programs.
Year 1 Data for Continuous Improvement
Driving Questions:
How can we design programs to meet diverse student needs? How can we ensure that we’re identifying and collecting the most important data to gauge our success and identify further areas for quality improvement?
CCNetwork Resources
Approaches to Data and Continuous Improvement: Youth, Program, and System Level External Resource
This discussion introduces participants to The Every Hour Counts Measurement Framework, Putting Data to Work for Young People, which was developed to help summer and afterschool leaders think through their data needs, plan for data collection and use, and carry out those plans in ways that support continuous improvement and advance racial equity.
External Resources
-
Every Hour Counts - Putting Data to Work for Young People Guidebook
A companion resource to EHC’s Measurement Framework to help you use the framework as a planning tool.
-
Sperling Center for Research and Innovation (SCRI) - Summer Learning Program Evaluation Guide
Guidance on creating summer evaluation plans that are aligned to research and help capture impact, quality, opportunities for continuous improvement.
Year 1 Sustainability
Driving Questions:
How have exemplary summer and afterschool systems and programs built lasting support for their work?
What strategies might we consider?
CCNetwork Resources

Facets of Sustainability for Summer and Afterschool Programs
This plenary presentation, from the Summer and Out of School Time Community of Practice, provides an overview of the many facets of sustainability that school and community leaders must consider to set programs up for success year after year. The sustainability framework shared is based on research conducted during the National Summer Learning Project and includes clear vision and priorities, robust partnerships, strategic communications, collecting data for continuous improvement, and quality programs, among others.

Collecting and Using Data for Continuous Improvement in Summer & Afterschool
This breakout discussion offers guidance on what to measure and how to use data to drive continuous improvement in summer and afterschool programs. Drawing from multiple frameworks and research studies, participants discuss systemic, programmatic and youth outcomes, and how state education agencies can support local education agencies and community partners to measure implementation and outcomes.
External Resources
-
Wallace Foundation – Facilitation Guide for Sustainability Planning Tools
This Guide provides an overview of the three Sustainability Planning Tools – the Self-Assessment, Strategy Development, and Action Plan. It also provides helpful tips for summer program leads to prepare for and facilitate a collaborative planning process using those three tools.