Creating Communities of Practice to Support Quality After School Programming
Harvard Family Research Project:
This includes program monitoring and evaluation, fostering organizational cultures that promote continuous improvement, and building systems of services that link providers and promote quality.
The goal of the interactive 2-day meeting was to bring together the perspectives of diverse stakeholders to inspire new ideas and foster stronger links between research, practice, and policy.
The challenge for meeting participants---reflective of the current challenge for the after school field in general---was to take an accumulation of rich information and experience and turn it into useable knowledge to inform effective practice.
Stakeholders at all levels are working to further develop and scale up a system of high-quality, accessible, and sustainable services for children and youth.
The collaborative efforts of these stakeholders were evident in the diverse, energetic, and dedicated community of professionals participating in the Symposium.
The notion of communities of practice served as a key theme and as a framework for participants to understand and develop their vital work, both during the Symposium and after returning to their respective communities and organizations.?1; Originally developed in the business sector, the notion of communities of practice provides a missing link in addressing the key question facing those committed to improving the lives of youth: How do we connect the information we have generated to its use in the field?
By convening citywide and statewide networks of after school providers, the C.S. Mott Foundation is also creating communities of practice, which are focused on building systems to support and advocate for high quality after school programming.
For example, quality is built in part on professional development, which relies on the foundation of positive relationships between staff and supervisors.
