1. Expanded Learning Opportunities: Engaging
Communities to Close the Opportunity Gap
by School’s Out Washington
Washington State House Education Committee
January 16, 2014

2. Expanded Learning Opportunities Panelists
 School’s Out Washington
Janet Schmidt, Program and Advocacy Officer
Lynne Tucker, Education Policy and Advocacy Director
 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Dan Garry, 6th Grade Teacher/Academic Coach
Kate Steward, Robotics Coach
 Tacoma Public Schools
Amanda Thomas, Director
Office of Community Partnerships
 Community-based Organization
Elaine Ranson, Director of Education Programs
Peace Community Center, Tacoma

3. School’s Out Washington
• Training, Advocacy and Leadership for 25 years.
• Statewide services & guidance for organizations to
ensure that all young people have safe places to learn
and grow when not in school.
• Works with partners across state…
school-based, community-based, faith-based, 21st
Century Community Learning Centers, OSPI, schools
and municipalities.
Closing the opportunity gap and preparing students for
success in career, college and life.

4. School’s Out Washington develops a State Plan.
• New State Action Plan for afterschool and
community-based organizations
• Engaging K-12 stakeholders, municipal leaders,
elected officials, community-based organizations,
families and youth
• Recommendations : Expanded Learning
Opportunities for closing the opportunity gap,
with partnerships, quality programs and equity

5. Expanded Learning Opportunities
offer tools and strategies that are …
• Student-centered and individual needs focused
• Aligned with and supportive of the learning that
occurs during the school day
• Measures progress through academic performance
and improved student outcomes
• Helps curb Summer Learning Loss
• Assists teachers by providing additional supports

6. Six Guiding Principles:
Expanded Learning Opportunities
1. Strong collaborations between school-community
2. Measures improved academic performance
3. Researched practices, quality standards and data
4. Hands-on, culturally-responsive and engaging
5. Engaging families to participate
6. Affordability and scalability
Source: Afterschool and Youth Development State Plan: A Call to Action For
Washington’s Children & Youth, Jan. 2013

7. ELOs take many forms.
Engage students in a different way to make
meaningful connections to classroom instruction.
Provide experiential and hands-on learning,
mentoring and coaching.
Offer research-based practices and quality standards.
Uses: Common Core, STEM, academic supports, drop-
out, social-emotional skills, summer learning loss,
college and career readiness…
closing the GAP.

8. Summer Learning Loss contributes greatly
to the GAP.
• Loss of learning skills that occurs over the summer.
• Disproportionately impacts low-income students,
ELL, foster care and homeless and students of color.
• Cumulative effects are the largest predictor of the
opportunity gap and drop-out.
• More access to summer ELOs can mitigate loss.

9. Impact on Reading Achievement
Summer Learning Loss:
• Each Summer, low-income students lose 2+ months
vs. middle income peers who make gains.
• End of 5th grade: Disadvantaged fall 3-grade levels
behind middle income peers.

10. Heading Goes Here Calibri or Franklin
Gothic Demi
By 9th grade:
2/3 of the achievement gap is due to summer
learning loss.
Summer Learning Loss is a path to drop-out…
But not talked about in our state.

15. Work with Equity in Education Coalition.
Works with the EEC to close the opportunity gap for
students of color.
Heading Goes Here Calibri or Franklin
Gothic Demi
Working with the EEC
• To close the Opportunity Gap.
• ELL programs, summer learning loss, and
expanded learning opportunities for at-risk.

16. Join the movement powered by
school-community partnerships…
so that all students have access to
quality expanded learning opportunities.
Support Expanded Learning Opportunities & Summer Programs.