“I’ve seen these afterschool programs and I’ve seen these summer programs–and what a difference they can make,” Representative Trent Ashby told the crowd gathered in Austin to celebrate and learn from the state’s expanded learning programs. The former school board member said he’d been awed by the impact that additional learning time can have on a child.
Others too can attest to Texas's leadership in expanding opportunities for young people after school and during the summer throughout the state. But there still are not enough seats to go around. For every child in an out-of-school time program in Texas, three more are waiting to get in.
How can the state expand its work to reach more students and serve as a model for other states looking to create opportunities for more students to learn outside of the school day?
As one might imagine, folks in Texas have thoughts.
“The Promise of Expanded Learning in Texas” event, where Ashby was speaking, brought together policymakers, researchers, out-of-school-time leaders, superintendents, students, and funders to talk about what’s working, what’s challenging, and why expanded learning matters for young people. The result? A better understanding of the role state policy can play in expanded learning, an inspired group of leaders, and, perhaps most importantly, real stories of the impact of expanded learning from students and educators.
The event was hosted by TXPOST, a statewide intermediary whose mission is to strengthen the quality and availability of out-of-school-time opportunities for Texas youth; Big Thought, a Dallas-based nonprofit that works in the fields of arts education, out-of-school time programming, social emotional learning, youth justice, and learning systems; and Wallace. John Fitzpatrick, former executive director of Educate Texas and president of Ferry Partners, moderated the event.
The Impact of State Policy
According to a recent survey from the National Summer Learning Association, 55 percent of parents nationwide said their child participated in a structured summer program—and only 38 percent of low-income families said they did. Likewise, the Afterschool Alliance found that while 89 percent of families in the highest income bracket reported their children participated in some kind of afterschool programming, only 60 percent of families in the lowest income bracket did. State policy can play a pivotal role in providing more opportunity to these students.
One way Texas is encouraging more districts to offer summer programming is through its Additional Days School Year (ADSY) program. Kelvey Oeser, deputy commissioner of educator and system support at the Texas Education Agency, described how historic legislation, passed in 2019, provides funding for up to 30 additional school days for participating elementary schools. In the 2022-2023 school year, 388 campuses accessed funding, each providing an average of 22.6 days of summer learning. Moreover, the state education agency also offered districts access to research-based planning and execution training, consultation, and resources, through the Additional Days School Year Planning and Executive (ADSY PEP) program.
“What’s happening in Texas is truly remarkable,” said Will Miller, president of The Wallace Foundation, of the state’s expanded learning work. “You are leading the way.”
We know we need better results for our kids, and we know we can design systems better to get to those results.
— Kelvey Oeser, deputy commissioner of educator and system support, Texas Education Agency
The results have been promising: Students who participated in ADSY programs that added at least 26 days of additional learning saw nine point higher gains in reading and six point higher gains in math than students who did not participate in a program. Those students who participated in ADSY PEP summer programs, where schools received additional training, saw even larger gains in reading and math than students who participated in only ADSY programs.
“We know we need better results for our kids, and we know we can design systems better to get to those results,” said Oeser.
As we design those better systems, afterschool presents another important opportunity. State leaders continue to learn more about what it takes to move the needle, and results from the ADSY summer effort point to valuable lessons that could also be adapted and applied in other settings, specifically with afterschool programming.
Oeser shared the state’s results from the Texas Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) program, which offers students both afterschool and summer programming. Funded by the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal grant, the program serves high-poverty, low-performing campuses and engages 150,000 students annually. It provides academic support, enrichment activities, and community and family engagement. Participating students have seen positive attendance and academic outcomes such as a 14 percent decrease in chronic absenteeism and a higher likelihood to pass the state reading and math assessments.
Deborah Moroney, vice president at American Institutes for Research (AIR), a group studying summer learning efforts in Texas, underscored the state’s commitment to out-of-school learning. She shared findings from the first report on the six-year Texas Summer Learning Study, which examines how Texas is promoting strong, evidence-based summer learning programs across the state. Citing improved attendance, academic achievement, and positive behaviors for participating students, Moroney also noted an increase in skills like persistence, responsibility, work habits, and self-awareness.
Importantly, Moroney added that policies that support strong summer programming are especially effective when bolstered by funding, planning tools, and technical assistance.
Research findings from the existing evidence base demonstrate that out-of-school-time can really matter for young people when it comes to both academic progress and social and emotional skill building. One of the largest of these studies, conducted by the RAND corporation, examined outcomes from The National Summer Learning Project, a Wallace-supported initiative that aimed to understand the implementation and effectiveness of voluntary summer learning programs in five districts, including one in Texas. The study found that students who attended programs two summers in a row gained meaningful benefits from well-planned summer learning programs, including improvements in math, language arts, and social-emotional skills for students.
“What we know now is those relationships are critical to young people’s development and they cannot be an accident,” said Moroney of the social and leadership opportunities students gain from expanded learning programs.
Student Leaders Speak Up
Hearing from students and leaders involved in programs can help show impact beyond the numbers. One panel at the Austin event, moderated by Byron Sanders, former president of Big Thought, featured three students who had become leaders in their out-of-school time (OST) programs.
I dream of a world where we don’t have a word for it anymore—we don’t say ‘this is OST.’ We fund it, support it, and measure it at the same level that we do for traditional school.
— Amir Samandi, founder and executive director of Students of Service
The students shared about the opportunities these programs provided them: international and domestic travel, new friendships across the country, and building new skills. Miranda Xu, a high school junior, saw how she could apply what she learned in school to engineering projects like city planning through her work with the Million Girl Moonshot Flight Crew. Jathan Benavidez, a high school junior, brought the Students of Service program into his own school and recruited his peers to volunteer. And Omer Omer, a college sophomore, co-led a hiking trip in Minnesota with his fellow student leaders as part of Big Thought’s The Fellowship Initiative. All of the students agreed that these opportunities were life-changing—and that every student deserves that same chance.
“Finding the right program was difficult and that shouldn’t be the case,” Omer said. “The option should be to opt out, not opt in.”
Amir Samandi, founder and executive director of Students of Service, who joined the three students on the panel, agreed. “I dream of a world where we don’t have a word for it anymore—we don’t say ‘this is OST.’ We fund it, support it, and measure it at the same level that we do for traditional school.”
District Leaders Seek to Reach Every Student
Another panel, moderated by Alfreda B. Norman, retired senior vice president of the Federal Reserve of Dallas and past board chair of the Communities Foundation of Texas, featured district leaders who have found success with state-supported expanded learning. They described summer and afterschool programs that engaged students in enrichment activities like fine arts, technology, and robotics. Programs can also provide academic assistance and support student safety and well-being by offering a safe space outside of the traditional school day.
Ken Casarez, chief innovation officer at Lubbock Independent School District, explained that the expanded learning opportunities in his district provided by the Texas ACE program reach students in nontraditional campuses, juvenile justice programs, and alternative high schools, making sure every student has an opportunity to participate.
At Roma Independent School District, district leaders wanted to change the perception of summer school within the community as not just remedial, explained Diana Salinas, executive director of curriculum & assessment at the district. Carlos M. Gonzalez, Jr., superintendent of Roma ISD, saw the impact participation in ADSY had on students in his district through improved attendance, grade point averages, and classroom engagement. He noted opportunities to streamline the processes for district participation in ADSY and was heartened to hear the state agency is considering ways to strengthen it as well.
Thinking beyond Current Systems
Local progress is already being made to expand afterschool and summer learning opportunities in Texas to thousands more children. In November, Proposition A passed in Travis County (which includes most of Austin). The measure adds almost 4,000 afterschool/summer program slots for students and was developed in close collaboration with the early childhood field, providing for a continuum of supports for children from birth through high school graduation. In addition to new slots, this funding also supports activities like training and evaluation to ensure quality. The Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) Council, established by the Texas legislature to make recommendations to improve access to and quality of expanded learning in Texas, includes recommendations to fund those activities in its latest report, along with more funding for evidence-based programs and research on their impact.
There is talent everywhere...
— Jaime La Fuente Garcia, president and CEO, Andy Roddick Foundation
With strong state policy support, opportunities have expanded for students across Texas - but there is still much more to do. The Austin-based Andy Roddick Foundation is one organization working to continue to move the needle by creating summer camps and supporting afterschool and summer programs. Jaime La Fuente Garcia, president and CEO of the foundation and member of the ELO Council, said she was feeling optimistic about the future of expanded learning in Texas but also pressed the urgency of funding expansion, research, and capacity-building efforts.
“There is talent everywhere,” said La Fuente Garcia of the number of students who could benefit from OST opportunities. Expanded learning investments can help draw that talent out.
For other states looking to implement their own expanded learning policies or programs, organizations like the National Summer Learning Association and Afterschool Alliance offer resources for developing proposals for state legislation.
And below are a few high-level takeaways, drawn from the AIR Texas Summer Learning Study, which can be applied to both summer and afterschool programming.
- Additional support can bolster success
The early findings from the AIR Texas Summer Learning Study point to how additional support through funding, resources, and technical assistance can improve the quality of policy implementation. By providing evidence-based planning support, like Texas’ ADSY PEP program, states can help districts use evidence-based design principles like budget efficiencies in the program planning process.
States can also play a role in helping to connect districts with local funding, develop community partnerships, and raise awareness of the impact and outcomes of out-of-school-time programs with key stakeholders.
- Collect and address feedback from local education agencies
States can consider ways to make both the planning process and the grant application process manageable and feasible for district leaders by requesting and responding to feedback from applicants. Some recommendations Oeser shared to improve the ADSY program for participating districts include start-up planning grants, expansion to middle schools, and other incentives for adopting the highest-quality ADSY model.
- Let districts lead the way
Flexibility in state policy goes hand-in-hand with support. Districts understand their local context best, and policies that allow for flexibility in design and implementation can help them meet the needs of their schools and students. For example, the state agency may provide guidance for marketing a program, but districts should ultimately decide what makes the most sense for reaching families in their local communities.
This article was developed based on an extended learning summit held in Austin, Texas. Wallace would like to thank the following people and organizations for their support, assistance and participation:
Trent Ashby, State Representative, District 9, Texas
Jathan Benavidez, Youth Ambassador, Students of Service
Dr. Brad Buckley, State Representative, District 54, Texas and Chairman, House Public Education Committee
Ken Casarez, Chief Innovation Officer, Lubbock Independent School District
Jenna Courtney, Chief Executive Officer, TXPOST
Brian Doran, Director of Expanded Learning Models, TEA
Shannon Epner, Director of Impact & Advocacy, Big Thought
John Fitzpatrick, Former Executive Director, Educate Texas and President, Ferry Partners
Jaime La Fuente Garcia, President & CEO, Andy Roddick Foundation
Carlos M. Gonzalez, Jr., Superintendent, Roma Independent School District
The Hatcher Group
Lindsay Macik, Chief Operating Officer, TXPOST
Greg McPherson, Chief Big Thought Institute Officer, Big Thought
Will Miller, President, The Wallace Foundation
Deborah Moroney, Vice President, American Institutes for Research
Alfreda B. Norman, Retired Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve of Dallas and Past Board Chair, Communities Foundation of Texas
Kelvey Oeser, Deputy Commissioner of Educator and System Support, Texas Education Agency
Omer Omer, Youth Ambassador, Big Thought
Diana Salinas, Executive Director of Curriculum & Assessment, Roma Independent School District
Amir Samandi, Founder and Executive Director, Students of Service
Byron Sanders, Former President, Big Thought, and Chief Executive Officer, Arete Health, Inc.
Miranda Xu, Youth Ambassador, Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew
Top main photo credits (left to right): Left, Kelvey Oeser, Texas Education Agency; middle, Jaime La Fuente Garcia, Andy Roddick Foundation; right: Ken Casarez, Lubbock Independent School District
