Afterschool Issue Briefs

About this grant

In 2002, the Forum for Youth Investment at Impact Strategies began a strategic effort to generate and disseminate research-based findings on critical issues in the area of out-of-school time. The policy commentary series provides local, state and national policymakers and leaders, as well as government officials, with information on ways to improve the quality, quantity and sustainability of afterschool opportunities for low-income children and youth.Second-year funding will enable the forum to create additional policy commentaries and expand the dissemination efforts and impact of the project by hosting a series of four national audio conferences that build on each commentary. The goal is to produce four eight-page commentaries. Both print and electronic versions will be disseminated. In addition, the forum will continue to seek input from stakeholders to identify and develop appropriate topics for policy commentaries and work toward specific dissemination agreements with Mott afterschool grantees and other key organizations in the field.During the first year of the project, the forum released five commentaries on topics that included research and policy, high school afterschool programs, systems building, access and equity in afterschool programs, and quality and standards for afterschool programs.