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Extending Learning
VUE Number 16, Summer 2007
David Cicilline  Audio Clip 5
Mayor, Providence, Rhode Island
If you’re successful, what kinds of outcomes
do you expect to see for youth?
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TEXT VERSION:
I think there are two categories. One is, of course, some measurable improvement in attendance, graduation rates, and student achievement. There are lots of opportunities to align some part of the after-school programming to the academic needs of students, so we’ll be looking at outcomes that demonstrate improvements in those areas.
But equally important, and one area that’s not always underscored, is to also ignite the passion and interest of young people in civics and art and music and dance and good healthy physical exercise--all of the things that contribute to the healthy development of young people into productive, contributing, engaged citizens of our democracy.
It’s very important, I believe, when you talk about extending or changing the way we think about our responsibility to young people in our city, that it not be viewed too narrowly. There’s such an emphasis on scores and academic achievement, which is incredibly important as our kids compete in the global economy, and we want them to be competitive and be prepared to enter the workforce or go to college. There’s no question that’s very, very important. But equally important is that we’re raising young people to be good citizens and artists and to appreciate art and to be good musicians and to appreciate the beauty of music and to be physically healthy and appreciate the value of good exercise.
So after-school programs or out-of-school time are particularly important I think in this post-No Child Left Behind era when so many districts have been required to squeeze out of their school day in the light of declining resources and increasing accountability and standards in academics, to shift their focus so much on the core academics and raising achievement there that some of the other art and music and recreation is being squeezed out of the day for kids. So I think the role of out of school time is to really--not replace, because that should continue to be the responsibility in the public schools--but to supplement those areas so that they can continue to and even become more important in the education of our kids.
So I think it’s very important that the outcomes focus on both of those sets of priorities.
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