21st Century Community Learning Centers 2006 Summer Institute
Call for Presentations
Please use
the attached form to submit a presentation.
The deadline is March 1, 2006.
Part I - General Information
The U.S. Department of Education, through the National Partnership for Quality After-school Learning is once again calling for presentation proposals for its 21st CCLC Program 2006 Summer Institute, Keys to Sustaining Quality After-School Programs. The Institute is scheduled for three days this year from July 10-12, 2006 at the Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center in San Diego, California. This year’s theme will focus on elements that are essential to sustaining quality after-school programs. The Summer Institute will feature presentations that provide high-quality learning opportunities for after-school practitioners in the academic content areas, complemented by sessions that promote the development of a vision, achieving results, strategic financing, building organizational and community support, and strategic planning.
The theme of the 2006 Summer Institute underscores the importance of establishing relationships with key stakeholders to recruit, retain, and reinvest our efforts in students so they can succeed. There is continuing pressure on after-school programs to produce successful student outcomes and to sustain themselves. Therefore, we must ensure that students most in need are accessing quality after-school programs and thus having positive social interactions and learning through a variety of experiences in supportive environments.
The after-school movement continues to grow as educators and community leaders realize the benefits of working together to serve students. The three-day 2006 Institute will bring together a diverse group of leaders from the fields of education, youth development, recreation, family support, community development, government, philanthropy, and others who work with and in after-schools at the local, state, and national levels.
The purposes of the Summer Institute are to:
- Discover innovative practices from leaders in the after-school program and policy areas that will help sustain programs,
- Learn how to create and sustain high-quality after-school programs that integrate academic content, youth development, and recreation,
- Learn how to increase the capacity of after-school programs to recruit and maintain the involvement of hard-to-reach students on a regular basis, and
- Build a foundation for understanding that sustainability of after-school programs is not just about funding but also includes a well-trained staff that can provide high-quality programming and maintain ongoing family, organizational, and community support.
Part II – Presentation Guidelines, Content, and Design
We invite after-school leaders, practitioners, researchers, and advocates to serve as workshop presenters.
Proposal Guidelines
Proposals are being solicited for two types of sessions to be presented on July 11 and 12.
Information and Knowledge Sessions
Each information and knowledge sharing session will be a maximum of 60 minutes. The purpose of these sessions will be for presenters to share their experience, information, knowledge, or research about building relationships and alliances to engage students and meet their needs academically, physically, and socially in after-school.
Interactive Skill-Building Workshops
Each interactive skill-building workshop will be a maximum of 90 minutes. We want to ensure that participants have ample opportunity to interact with each other by asking questions and participating in skill building exercises. Lecturettes should be limited to no more than 20 minutes and specifically address the process, practices, or strategies necessary to implement the ideas presented.
Selection Criteria
Priority for both types of sessions will be given to proposals that reflect these criteria:
- Relevance to Institute theme and strands
- Identification of what the participants will know and be able to do as a result of their attendance at the session
- Support for the topic with appropriate research
- Clarity of intent, description, and design of the session
- Clarity of learning objectives for the session
- Degree of participant involvement such as skill building, active/participatory learning, and interactive discussions
- Practical usefulness to participants
- Innovation and creativity in presentation content
- Addresses rural program issues and concerns
Session Strands
At previous Summer Institutes, after-school project directors and site coordinators have made up the majority of the audience. This year’s presentation proposals should focus primarily toward the needs of these groups at either the beginning or advanced levels of experience. You will also be asked to designate which academic grade level your topic is primarily directed to address if applicable. When developing your presentation, also consider embedding one or more of these following cross-cutting issues: after-school research, training/development for after-school staff, evaluation, and sustainability. Presentations will be identified in the program agenda by staff position, experience and grade level as appropriate.
Presenter Information
- All presenters must register for the conference. Register online at http://www.synergyentinc.com/21stcentury.
- Limit each presentation proposal to one or two presenters.
- Presenters selected will be reimbursed for travel-related expenses.
- Presenters contribute his/her services in a volunteer capacity.
- Presenters are responsible for providing all presentation materials and handouts.
- The Institute will provide flip charts, markers, overhead projectors and screens, as needed. Access to LCD projectors and laptops is limited; plan to bring your own.
- Presenters may be asked to combine their presentations with other like submissions to provide a stronger session.
- Presenters may be asked to repeat their sessions on the same or second day.
Helpful Tips to Consider as You Prepare Your Proposal
- Recognize that everyone in your audience has knowledge to share. Therefore, limit lecture time and provide plenty of opportunities for audience participation.
- Provide a general overview of your topic and, if appropriate, what the current research/evaluations say about it.
- Address the importance of building relationships and alliances that will motivate students to participate and stay engaged in after-school.
- Discuss how you attract hard-to-reach children and youth and maintain their involvement on a regular basis in after-school.
- Give participants an activity, discussion assignment, or show a video that includes concrete examples of hands-on engaging activities that are different from the school day program.
- If possible, bring handouts and other materials that participants can use immediately in their programs.
- Have groups share what they have done or discussed.
- Summarize key points from the session.
- If you use a PowerPoint presentation, make a thumbprint handout.
- The session abstract must accurately describe your presentation. A major comment on last year’s evaluations was that the presentations often did not match the descriptions in the program agenda.
Please use
the attached form to submit a presentation.
The deadline is March 1, 2006.
