EDUCATION CULTURE WARS AND MAINTAINING BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR AFTERSCHOOL

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PANELISTS

BRIDGET LAIRD

CEO,

WINGS for Kids

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MICHAEL FUNK

Director, Expanded Learning Division, California Dept. of Education

MELISSA SCHLINGER

Vice President of Practice and Programs,

CASEL

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DR. TERRY PETERSON

Board Chairman, Afterschool Alliance

DR. FEMI VANCE

Senior Researcher,

American Institutes for Research

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COMING SOON: Afterschool and the Education Culture Wars

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In this briefing paper we examine:

• Important Terms and Definitions
• History of Bipartisan Support of Afterschool
• Maintaining Bipartisan Support for Afterschool
• Examples of Education Culture Wars
• Tips on How to Avoid Entanglement in Education Culture Wars

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Such bipartisan support can be eroded �thru invented or real controversies

Using initials or short hand phrases to describe a new idea or innovation or approach can sometimes result in a backlash from some groups.

Or at a minimum they don’t convey much to most voters—and in public education, the parents, the public and voters matter …they matter a lot.

And keep in mind, usually someone or some group will try to make a buck opposing the initials. An example:

• Years ago, when the interest in new accountability measures was high, someone in short-hand called them “Outcome Based Education.” This term caused some backlash, but then it became a red flag when the supporters and their opponents turned the concept into the initials OBE.
• Some parent groups objected strongly against OBE education not even knowing what this was.
• One or two political groups even conducted national fund raising efforts to “eliminate this OBE in our schools.”

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One litmus test of support for a program in education is to explore how much people of various political parties support public funding of that program.

• Quite remarkably, Republican, Democratic and Independent parents want public investment in afterschool and summer programs.
• For example, 85% percent of parents who identify as Republican report that they support public funding of afterschool programs and 86% support public funding of summer learning programs.
• Similar percentages of Democratic and Independent parents support this public funding

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Could we benefit from using common everyday phrases that parents of many political leanings tend to support?�

Overall, from building life skills to helping working parents keep their jobs, Republican, Independent and Democratic leaning parents overwhelmingly agree on the positive role afterschool opportunities play.

Strong majorities of parents agree that afterschool programs:

• help young people engage with their peers and reduce unproductive screen time (85% of Republicans); 
• the ability to communicate and work in teams  (81% of Republicans);
• have opportunities to build confidence (80% of Republicans);
• provide opportunities to build positive relationships with caring adults and mentors (76% of Republicans) ; and
• become more excited about learning and interested in school (74% of Republicans).

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Another way to get a better sense of what can build or maintain bipartisan or tri-partisan support is to review what type of opportunities that were important to parents in their selection of afterschool and summer programs.� �

Similar to parents overall, the vast majority of parents of all political leanings (e.g., in the high 80%), report that opportunities in afterschool and summers were important for their child to build life skills, such as:

• interacting with their peers,
• developing social skills, and
• responsible decision making.

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RECAP: � �WE NEED MANY MORE AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES AND FUNDING.��OUR HISTORY OF BUILDING AND MAINTAINING BIPARTISAN OR TRIPARTISAN CAN AND SHOULD BE BUILT UPON��PARENT POLLING CAN HELP INFORM WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE SAY WHAT WE ARE DOING TO HELP US GROW BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR OUR INITIATIVES��…BECAUSE WE DO BETTER TOGETHER

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Expanded Learning In California

September 12, 2022 

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CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Expanded Learning

“Expanded learning” means before school, after school, summer, or intersession learning programs that focus on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and interests of students through hands-on, engaging learning experiences.

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It is the intent of the Legislature that Expanded Learning programs are student-centered, results driven, include community partners, and complement, but do not replicate, learning activities in the regular school day and school year.

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$4 Billion

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“So what exactly is social and emotional learning anyway?”

@caselorg

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SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

What is SEL?

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Leading With SEL Coalition

LeadingWithSEL.org

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Social and emotional learning builds

Lifelong, future-ready skills.

Social and emotional learning is overwhelmingly

Supported by parents.

Social and emotional learning boosts

Academic achievement.

Social and emotional learning is

Urgently needed now.