2022 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Afterschool and summer programs are often overlooked but powerful elements of a systems approach to supporting student success. Afterschool and summer programs can offer important strategies for addressing gaps in student learning and providing effective interventions. In this interactive session, participants will engage in a collaborative discussion about how they can use a continuous improvement cycle to harness the power of afterschool and summer programs using student and program data. Using the four essential elements of the cycle—engage, design, implement, and adjust—participants will explore new tools, strategies, and resources to help them collect, analyze, and use data to make necessary adjustments to student and program services and desired outcomes. Through this process participants will discuss what it means to develop a culture of data within their afterschool and summer programs and make data a part of everyday decisions, including opportunities to align with the regular school day programs. Participants will leave this session with action plans to implement when they return to their schools/organizations, including next steps, timelines, and additional resources needed.