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Research Connections

#21 Brenda McLaughlin, The Learning Agenda

Brenda McLaughlin is founder and president of The Learning Agenda, a consulting firm dedicated to building the capacity of organizations working to close the opportunity gap for underserved youth and families. In this issue, she discusses her organization's efforts, research-policy-practice connections, and future directions for the OST field.

Issue 21

#20 Tom Akiva, University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Thomas Akiva, the winner of the 2016 OST SIG Scholar Award, is a faculty member in the department of Psychology in Education at the University of Pittsburgh. His research focuses on understanding and improving OST programs for children and youth. In this issue he discusses the role of OST research as an essential component of public scholarship to educate diverse democracies (this year's conference theme). He discusses youth-adult interaction and research-practice partnerships.

Issue 20

#19 Kolbrún Þ. Pálsdóttir, Univ of Iceland

In this issue, Dr. Pálsdóttir discusses informal learning and democracy in education. Her discussion of youth centers and holistic education in Iceland is informative for readers in the U.S. and globally.

Issue 19

#18 Zakia Redd, Child Trends

Zakia Redd is the Deputy Program Area Director for the Youth Development team at Child Trends. In this issue she discusses research in community schools, the youth CONNECT initiative, and Child Trends' strong capacity to communicate research findings broadly. She also discusses the importance of targeted research to understand how effective programs work.

Issue 18

#17 Sara Hill

In this issue, Dr. Sara Hill discusses the 10th anniversary of the AERA SIG and her work with the Afterschool Matters journal, the National Afterschool Matters Practitioner Fellowship, and the Youth Today OST Hub.

Issue 17

#16 Bettina Dahl Søndergaard

In this issue, Dr. Bettina Dahl Sondergaard discusses the role of AERA in international youth development research--which is currently quite limited--and how that role might increase. She also discusses research and practice in education, and international OST STEM research.

Issue 16

#15 Kay Fukuda

Dr. Kay Fukuda is the Director of two place-based educational programs that operate in eight schools along the Waianae Coast: PALS and PLACES. In this issue she discusses culturally responsive learning opportunities, the importance of local context, and more.

Issue 15

#14 Charles Smith, Weikart Center

Dr. Charles Smith is the founder and Executive Director of the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, a division of the Forum for Youth Investment. In this issue Dr. Smith discusses research-practice partnerships, the impact of improvement systems like the Youth Program Quality Intervention, and diverse learning communities in OST.

Issue 14

#13 Ken Anthony, CT After School Network

Dr. Ken Anthony is the Director of Professional Development and Research for the Connecticut After School Network. In this issue he discusses youth development, professional development, and the importance of connections between school and afterschool personnel.

Issue 13

#12 Gil Noam, Harvard University

Gil Noam, Ed. D., Ph.D., is the founder and director of the Program in Education, Afterschool & Resiliency (PEAR) at Harvard University. In this issue he discusses social justice, social emotional learning, STEM, and the future of the OST field.

Issue 12

#11 Kimberley Boyer, Central Valley Afterschool Foundation

Dr. Kimberley Boyer is the Central Valley Afterschool Foundation’s (CVAF) executive director and serves as the chief editor of the new Journal of Expanded Learning Opportunities (JELO) a peer- reviewed, online, open-access publication. In this issue she discusses research, practice, the CVAF and JELO.

Issue 11

#10 Tameka L. McGlawn, ConnectEd

Dr. Tameka L. McGlawn is Director of Equity and Impact at ConnectEd. In this newsletter she describes Linked Learning community partnerships and how issues of equity and impact play out in its implementation.

Issue 10

#9: Sabrina Kataoka, UC Irvine

Sabrina Kataoka is the winner of the 2015 OST SIG Emerging Scholar award. She is a graduate student in the University of California, Irvine's Ph.D. in Education program, specializing in Learning, Cognition, and Development. Under the mentorship of Dr. Vandell, Ms. Kataoka has conducted several out-of-school studies throughout her graduate student career and has presented her research at numerous education and child and adolescent development conferences. She is currently completing her dissertation.

Issue 9

#8: Deborah Vandell, UC Irvine

Dr. Deborah Lowe Vandell

is a Professor of Education and Founding Dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. An author of more than 150 articles and three books, Dean Vandell’s research focuses on the effects of developmental contexts (early child care, K-12 schools, after-school programs, families) on children’s social, behavioral, and academic functioning. In this issue, Dr. Vandell discusses justice in OST settings, afterschool quality, and positive trends in the OST field.

Issue 8

#7: Kallen Tsikalas, Girl Scouts

Dr. Kallen Tsikalas is a Senior Research Lead at the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI). In this issue she discusses Girl Scouts as an avenue for civic engagement and social justice and recent Girl Scouting research.

Issue 7

#6: Georgia Hall, NIOST

Georgia Hall, PhD,

is a a Senior Research Scientist at the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at Wellesley College and specializes in research and evaluation on youth development programs, settings, and learning experiences. In this issue she discusses gender equity in STEM, the Afterschool Matters journal, and recent work in healthy eating & physical activity in OST.

Issue 6

#5: Joyce L Epstein, Johns Hopkins Univ

Joyce L. Epstein, PhD, is director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and National Network of Partnership Schools, and research professor of education and sociology at Johns Hopkins University. In Research Connections #5, Epstein discusses community partnerships.

Issue 5

#4: Ayeola Fortune, United Way Worldwide

Ayeola Fortune is the director of youth success in education at United Way Worldwide, leading the organization's work to improve middle grade success and boost high school graduation. In Research Connections issue #4, Ms. Fortune discusses a comprehensive approach to addressing community challenges, the importance of quality OST, and the new OST modules offered by United Way.

Issue 4

#3: Dale Blyth, UMN

Dr. Dale Blyth

is Extension Professor in the College of Education and Human Development, the Howland Endowed Chair in Youth Development Leadership, and a Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at the University of Minnesota. In this issue of OST World: Research Connections, Blyth discusses equity, current trends in out-of-school time, and youth outcomes.

Issue #3

#2: Katie Brohawn, TASC

OST World: Research Connections #2

Click below for Q&A with Katie Brohawn, Research Director at The After School Corporation (TASC).

OST SIG RC Issue 2 Brohawn.pdf

OST World: Research Connections

We are excited to launch our new series, OST World: Research Connections. Our inaugural issue features Dr. Karl Alexander, one of our SIG's founding members and an author of a new book, The Long Shadow: Family Background, Disadvantaged Urban Youth, and the Transition to Adulthood (Russell Sage, 2014).

Issue #1: Dr. Karl Alexander

FUTURE ISSUES Coming Soon!
"In the sea of education research that is AERA, OST represents such a small piece of the pie. Yet more and more, educators and policymakers are realizing the impact the OST space can have on student achievement. I feel it’s critical for all of us in this small subfield to be as connected as possible such that we can leverage what we are learning from one another to best serve our students in this unique learning environment." - Katie Brohawn, Director of Research, TASC

"I joined the OST SIG because it brings together two of my central areas of emphasis and interest - research on learning & development and the role of community opportunities for expanded learning. The SIG is a terrific peer group with strong and interesting discussions, papers, and stimulating idea." - Dale Blyth, Extension Professor in the College of Education and Human Development, the Howland Endowed Chair in Youth Development Leadership, and a Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at the University of Minnesota