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**2024 – 2025 STRATEGIC PARTNERS:**
FAQs
How do I find local academic enrichment programs?
There are many good academic enrichment programs that are not listed in Reach for the Stars because they are only offered locally and not statewide, a criterion for inclusion. The Minnesota Academic League Council recommends contacting one of your local organizations for suggestions:
- Public Library
- School District
- Community Education City Park and Recreation Boards
- University or College (K–12 Outreach, Youth Resources, Academic Enrichment)
- After School Regional Networks:
How can I participate in a program if it is not currently offered in my community?
Start by reaching out to the program directly, using the contact information provided in the listing. They can help you determine if there is a local program sponsor. If the program must be sponsored by a group for an individual to participate, you may try contacting your local school or community education organization to see if they would sponsor the program.
What is program quality and how do high-quality programs support student success?
“A rigorous curriculum alone does not lead to positive outcomes. The quality of the adult practices implementing the program are key factors for student success.” Learn more in the article below by Eric Billiet, former Minnesota Academic League Council member and Expanded Learning Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education.
“High-Quality Programs Support Student Success”
Reach for the Stars is full of academic enrichment programs, challenges, competitions and events that are designed to supplement classroom learning and increase student performance. They are intended to help students discover and develop their interests, passions and talents to reach new heights in learning. But where is the evidence that expanded learning opportunities will have this impact on participating students? Fortunately, there is a growing body of evidence about how well-designed, high-quality programs can help students be more successful in school and more connected with their communities.
Research has found that well-designed, high-quality expanded learning during after school and summer is linked to greater gains in academic and behavioral outcomes in the classroom. The more time students spend in these expanded learning programs, the greater improvement in academic performance, gains in self-efficacy, improved GPA and reduced school absences. Teachers report students who attend expanded learning programs gain better work habits, stronger task persistence and improved pro-social behavior with peers. But not all programs are created equally! Some programs are more successful than others.
So what makes a program well-designed? While each program is unique, the need for intentional design is common. The presence of four SAFE practices are associated with fostering the personal and social skills of students. SAFE stands for sequenced, active, focused and explicit. SAFE programs use sequenced step-by-step skill training approach, with active participation so students can practice skills, focusing specific time and intention on the skill building with explicitly defined goals. Sequenced programs will not be effective without opportunities to be hands-on, and active learning will not be effective unless the skills to be learned are not clearly described.
What about high-quality? A rigorous curriculum alone does not lead to positive outcomes. The quality of the adult practices implementing the program are key factors for student success. Students maximize their academic and social gains when they report fun and engaging experiences in programs with adults who care about them. As programs strive to continuously improve student outcomes, their focus should be on evaluating and building the skills of the adult instructors over trying to measure student academic outcomes.
With limited time and shrinking resources, it is critical to ensure programs are maximizing student outcomes. Positive student outcomes are too important to leave to chance. The Forum for Youth Investment has designed a free guide to compare several program quality assessment tools and is available to download at https://bit.ly/2I2O3oL. Program providers can also obtain low-cost and free support to improve program design and quality through Ignite Afterschool, Minnesota’s afterschool network. Download a free copy of Believe It. Build It. Minnesota’s Guide to Effective Afterschool Practices today at https://bit.ly/2FnfJ4Q.
The Minnesota Academic League Council provides guidance to ensure that Reach for the Stars is a valid resource with high-quality academic enrichment programs and activities. The council encourages all program providers to incorporate these important practices in program design and evaluation.
Testimonials
Joe Nathan, Founder and former director of the Center for School Change, says that downloading the Reach for the Stars guide is one of the approaches families and community members can use to help produce a much stronger opening of school this fall. View the article, Five Paths for a Strong Start to School at [https://centerforschoolchange.org/2022/08/five-paths-for-a-strong-start-to-school/] 35
“As a program coordinator that specializes in academic enrichment activities for youth, I look forward to the new Reach for the Stars catalogue each year and the opportunity to generate fresh ideas that I can bring to my school and community. I am AMAZED at how many opportunities are available at low or no cost. Many of the Reach for the Stars partner organizations pair well with K–12 education, giving us more opportunities for alignment. Thank you to the Minnesota Academic League Council for advocating for the youth that "compete with their brain!" The opportunities for competition and growth are life changing for youth seeking programs in the arts and academics." — Melanie M. Schmidt, Youth Development Program Coordinator, Mankato Community Education
“As a service provider for children and families in a very busy world, I am fascinated by how the physical copy of the Reach for the Stars catalogue makes this resource stand out for me and my clients. Parents in my psychology practice are often overwhelmed by their children’s needs. The wide-reaching list of internet resources is helpful whether on the internet on paper. What I appreciate about the paper catalogue is that it feels like a tangible map that can be grasped as a tool for the complex educational planning they face. As I have raised my own children, I page through the paper RFTS catalogue, marking the items of interest in a way that sometimes just feels more manageable than an internet search. I look forward to handing out this catalogue in my psychology practice for years to come.” — Mary L. Wandrei, Ph.D., LP
*“My Current Events Challenge program has been listed in your publication for a number of years. I'm a real believer in what your organization and publication do to enhance the educational process in the state of the Minnesota. And what you have done to promote activities that enriches learning of our students is unmeasurable. Although I have decided to end the publication of Current Events Challenge at the end of the current school year and will no longer be a member, I will be sending an affiliate donation. Thanks for everything and keep up the good work.” *
*— *Russ Armstrong, Current Events Challenge
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