Three O’Clock Somewhere
Post submitted by Cathy DelVento and Joe Davis
There's a massive Viking longhouse under construction in Winthrop, Mass., and its youngest architects are only 14 years old. Each afternoon—after school—students in the town of Winthrop expand their math skills as they draw plans and measure wood, social studies skills in recreating Viking food and clothing, computer skills as they plot the museum's layout, and language and leadership skills as they make Viking culture come alive for visitors.
Across the country, high quality afterschool programs are helping accelerate student achievement. And, because the programs are community-driven and tap into local expertise, resources and talent, no two programs are exactly alike. In Winthrop, for example, Viking scholars are treated to visits by area architects and engineers. At other afterschool programs, participants are just as likely to have music executives or computer programmers as their guides and colleagues.
Any student can benefit from afterschool programs—and students of all backgrounds can participate—but it's the students who need the most help that usually realize the biggest gains. One such student, Bobby, credits Winthrop's afterschool programs with helping him grow from an eight-year-old who was constantly getting into