The Quest for Quality

Creating quality in afterschool programming is everyone's desire and everyone's responsibility. But how does it really come about? Is quality the result of a curriculum, a healthy budget, type of program offerings, education level of the frontline staff, number of program partners, amount of resources, or something else?

I suggest that quality is most directly correlated to the leadership capacity of the program director. That individual must possess the capacity to lead people with skill sets that are far and above those needed for teaching or working in other support positions. The program director sets the tone, establishes expectations, and assures the standards of performance that result in quality.

We must make it our professional duty and practice to invest in leadership excellence. Leadership responsibility and authority can and must be distributed among our entire afterschool program staffs, but foremost, program leaders need extensive training in the nuts and bolts of administering a program along with knowledge and skills that inspire, motivate, and teach others to create magical moments in afterschool. Leaders must learn both the hard and soft leadership skill sets, and the softer skills are those that are more difficult to learn, implement, and master – and less likely taught. Being an afterschool program leader is more than a role; it's a responsibility. Effective afterschool program leaders do everything that has to be done, whenever and wherever it has to be done, and always in the best way that things should be done - whether they like it or not. They make the right things happen. They bring out the right qualities in the right people.  Where that happens, without any doubt, quality will exist.

Investment in afterschool leadership must become a priority. Too often, licensure requirements specify credentials for frontline staff but do not adequately address the essential leadership skills needed by the program director. Grants are often written without consideration for the   skills required or the time needed to effectively lead. Every afterschool site needs a dedicated, full-time leader. That individual must be engaged in professional learning about leadership, student management, organizational psychology, non-profit or for-profit management, standards attainment, and visioning.  They must also learn how to care, inspire, and work with adults. Real learning occurs in the trenches, listening, observing good and bad leaders, evaluating the effects and results, sharing experiences, and planning with expert practitioners.

Regardless of the organizational structure, all afterschool programs must meet the most basic business goal - make a profit.  Non-profits are only as good as their next buck. We all face stiff competition for funding. How successfully we generate revenue determines our reputation and future and reflects our leadership abilities. The capacity for visioning is essential for afterschool program leaders. That skill can and must be taught.

When you do something really well, word gets around. The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) has developed a series of leadership lessons tailored directly for those who work at the program site level, particularly focused on the soft skill sets.  Those lessons (NAA members can find many of them in the Members Only section of the website), are simple, practical, and specific to how professionals should be treated in the afterschool setting. They are intended to help afterschool program leaders lead their staffs toward excellence and create quality learning environments that result in satisfaction and earn top rankings from those that matter most – children, youth, and their families.

Excellence in afterschool leadership must come first. When it does, quality will not be far behind.

Paul G. Young, Ph.D.

President & CEO

National AfterSchool Association

Putting Some Steam into STEM

Join NAA Members at the Gaylord Texan, April 2-4, 2012, for the biggest and best convention of afterschool professionals ever!

I'll never forget that typical school day when I witnessed one of my differently-abled students engaged in one if his frequent tantrums. The 10-year old was a non-verbal autistic learner.  He lived with his single mother in a rundown apartment complex. She'd often put him in a harness when walking in public for fear he'd get away from her.

On that memorable day, I was simply making routine rounds through the school where I served as principal. When I heard the tantrum, I went to see if I could help the teacher. And I'll never forget what I witnessed.

Sensing my presence in the room, the teacher instructed her assistant to begin playing Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68), on their record player. She did as asked, and immediately the boy's tantrum ended as he sat and listened to the music and was visually transformed by it. I was flabbergasted! Then the teacher told me about the boy's taste in music. Only classical music would stop his tantrums. "Beethoven", she said, "works every time."

There is much being discovered today about the interrelationships between music and science.  Medical science is now confirming what musicians, philosophers, and generations of enthusiasts have intuitively known. We are now seeing examples of Parkinson's patients walk and stroke victims speak because of the power of music. Even some aging individuals who are suffering memory loss can remember songs. Music has become part of the prescription for many medical disorders. As we learn more about the science of music, it will become even more important and essential to our human well-being.

NAA strongly supports the strengthening of STEM offerings during out of school hours. Linked with what is taught and experienced during the regular school day, this expanded learning time adds greatly to young learners’ opportunities to explore and develop important skills.

STEM learning is enhanced when it is integrated throughout the curriculum. To separate science, technology, engineering, or math makes no sense, and we also know music should be integrated in everything we do. The findings from science of music are proving that every day.

As a music lover, I could easily suggest that the acronym STEM could be altered with another M at the end, making it STEMM to include music. But an even better one is surfacing, and NAA is committing efforts to put some STE’A’M into STEM in 2012 by integrating all the arts. We need to cultivate innovation in young people, and the creativity component in all the arts, not just music, can help us all, especially scientists, achieve our mutual goals.

Music can be soothing and used for healing. It sparks creativity. It is a language of its own. Music and math fit hand in hand. It is an essential part of most human gatherings and functions. Much has been done by researchers to show how the human brain reacts to music and grows stronger with regular exposure.

I am not suggesting that kids in afterschool learn to sing or play the piano. But what I do hope to encourage and witness in the coming school year is the inclusion of integrated arts thinking into the way we structure our programs. The arts are a way of thinking, viewing, making sense, and experiencing the world around us. They are much more than stand-alone arts and crafts or make it and take it activities.

Read the research. In a decade, scientists studying the effects of music on brain development will likely have proven, without any doubt, that music study can make humans smarter. A growing army of researchers will prove that music is a fundamental part of life. Music defines us and binds us together. It is a force far more significant than just entertainment.  All of the arts will benefit from these emerging research findings and be acknowledged rightfully for their important and basic role in education and human development.

So, put some STE’A’M into your STEM curriculum. Get ahead of the game. There is power in music. Music matters. Science and music are muses that depend upon each other.

Transform your afterschool program with music of all kinds. It will make everyone happier, healthier, more in tune with each other, and just maybe a little smarter!

Dr. Paul G. Young
President & CEO
National AfterSchool Association

"I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music and all the arts are the keys of learning."
-- Plato

Seeing the Forest and the Trees

Can you see beyond the trees?

At a recent professional conference, I listened to a former Chicago principal and a parent advocate tell their mutual story about transforming their failing school into one that became highly performing and sought after by other Chicago parents. Needless to say, their shared vision and work was impressive. Yet, when they asked for questions, I observed how difficult it was for others from a rural setting to relate and envision similar transformation processes for themselves and their schools. One participant openly bemoaned a lack of resources in her rural area, stating that “there were more sheep than people in her school attendance area.” She cited that increasing numbers of poor people were moving in with other family members to pool resources because of the severe lack of jobs.

Many might have witnessed a similar scenario. Is what happens in the big city really applicable to a small, rural area? How replicable are urban school and afterschool transformations in other settings? It didn’t take long for me to realize that the bigger problem was that the rural attendee couldn’t see the forest for the trees – and I don’t think she really wanted to try.

Her questions centered around comparing the resources available in Chicago to the lack of those in her rural community. Because the presenters enjoyed proximity and ready access to volunteers and donated resources, the rural participant couldn’t envision how she could begin to realize any similar kinds of transformation for her school. All she could see were the sheep. She struggled to look beyond. Even when the presenters suggested partnering with 4-H, agribusiness, gardening groups, or faith-based organizations, she continued to bemoan the challenges of her rural predicament.

She never saw a bigger picture.

This scenario plays itself out too often. This session quickly turned into a comparison of apples and oranges, plentiful urban resources v. rural poverty. The participant completely missed the importance of visioning to a transformation process and the passions, desire, and commitment of the parent and principal. And because of their personal humility, they didn’t talk a lot about their feelings or how they each envisioned, internalized, and outwardly experienced the change process. 

Without doubt, many factors contributed to the successful transformation. Obviously, the presence of highly educated, talented, reform-minded parents was significant. Ready access to merchants, sponsors, and competent volunteers helped. But they also faced many obstacles. The facility was over 100 years old. There were naysayers and obstructionists among the school staff and community. These are common and present in all settings. There were also self-doubts and mistakes.

It was enjoyable listening to visionary leaders. They weren’t sharing a make-it, take-it process. They were telling their story. But that, in essence, became the problem. We’ve become so conditioned to sitting, getting, and following a prescriptive plan that we’ve forgotten how to listen and learn from the message and the moral behind every story. When presenters don’t provide how-to specifics, many participants leave in disappointment. By sharing their story, the presenters hoped others’ thinking would be changed to envision improvements and change in their unique settings. Sadly, I observed outstanding leaders sharing success of their visionary work and a room full of participants missing the big picture. To lead, you have to see both the forest and the trees and envision how to maneuver among each. A major challenge for presenters is to teach others how to think and act like a leader through the art of storytelling.

One of the benefits of attending professional conferences is the ready opportunity to open yourself to new ideas. You learn by making connections. I saw that happening in this workshop. But it’s highly doubtful that the rural participants followed up by reading the presenters’ book, networking, or working to build a relationship with the Chicago presenters. To learn new ideas, we must listen, ask questions, follow-up, and independently search for meaning and applicability to our lives and work. Most of all, we must be able to dream and envision ourselves replicating what we hear and learn within our individual settings no matter where it is or how challenging it might appear to be.

Why do so few succeed at leading change and transforming afterschool programs? Because it is exceedingly hard work, dangerous, and requires a long-term commitment to a vision that many struggle to see and develop. Leading change requires a personal engagement outside our comfort zones. Too many people become mired in a mindset or act like “horses wearing blinders.” We learn too quickly to squash ideas that appear to have any risk or limitations.

All of us will benefit by opening our schools and afterschool programs and actively inviting partners in. But before they arrive, we need a clear vision of shared responsibilities and desired outcomes for partnerships. If people suddenly began appearing from behind the trees and from deep within the forest, would we be prepared and know what to do with them?  

Tough times don't last, but tough people do. Get out and steal ideas. Apply them to your unique setting.

Kids learn best when they are motivated to do so and when their learning is real. So do we.

Adapting the Tiger Mom Mind-Set for Adults

Since its release earlier this year, Amy Chua’s book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Penguin, 2011) has elicited strong reactions and criticisms, both pro and con, about parenting and the rearing of the children in America. Throughout the book, Chua, a Yale law professor and mother of two Chinese-American daughters, describes how she and her husband (also a Yale law professor) set high expectations for their children and settled for nothing less than perfection. Her daughters were never allowed to attend sleepovers, have playdates, watch TV or play computer games, or get any grades less than A.  They were expected to be first in their class and also maintain rigorous afterschool practice schedules on piano or violin.

Chua describes the Chinese way of parenting (Chinese or not) as much more rigorous than Western methods. “Most of the other students at the school had liberal Western parents, who were weak-willed and indulgent when it came to practicing” (p.27). Her philosophy and parenting methods might see appalling, cruel, and heartless, yet her daughters excelled in academics, piano, and violin.

Earlier in May, I blogged about the need for afterschool professionals to evaluate the levels of rigor we expect for all children and youth, both during and after school. I got little argument that we should collectively strive for higher expectations for children and youth in our programs.

But now, let’s focus on adult expectations.

Is it cruel and heartless to expect the employees in our afterschool programs to increase expectations and settle for nothing less than their best everyday? As program leaders, are we too weak? Are we too lax? Do we adhere to high enough standards? Are we so focused on doing and saying what is politically correct that we fail to resolve plaguing issues? Are we satisfied too quickly and so easily that we’ve grown comfortable with the status quo and mediocrity?

My guess is that these questions raise doubts, concerns, and haunting memories among most of us. Too many of us have become accustomed to overlooking adult mistakes or accommodating a poor work ethic in order to avoid a confrontation. We continuously deal with student behaviors that could be prevented if the adults would simply supervise and do their jobs. We allow too many “adult issues” to get in the way of staff members actually performing their jobs – and at proficient levels.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is more than a memoir about the contrasts and differences between Chinese v. Western child rearing. It implies as much about how we approach the rigor and quality of our professional development programs and the expectations that we, as adults, have of each other.

One might disagree with Amy Chua (and me), but there is much to consider, debate, and reflect upon within the pages of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Schedule a staff book study and raise some key issues about practices and methodology from both the perspectives of student and adult performance and achievement.  Those reflections should spark some lively discussions and fruitful outcomes.

Reference:  Chua, Amy (2011). Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. New York: Penguin Press.

Vans, Buses, and Airplanes

Dr. Paul G. Young
NAA President & CEO

If you've ever followed the growth of any rock band, you should be able to relate to the following development analogy. Rock bands start out connecting with their fans by traveling to neighborhood performances using vans. Then, as they attract a following beyond their neighborhoods, they upgrade to buses. After they've hit their stride with loyal fans, they need airplanes to cover the distances to their performances.

Like musicians, afterschool professionals begin their leadership journey connecting with stakeholders within their neighborhoods. But as their passion for learning and leading increases on the way to achieving success, they recognize that they must move from city to city for the newest ideas, knowledge, and expansion of their influence. Eventually, their quest for originality and continuous improvement requires movement from city and state by airplane. Ultimately, the very best expand their horizons and travel to other continents in search of what is the latest and best practice in their field.

Where are you in this continuum of travel? As the leader of your afterschool program, you must recognize the importance of building a strong base of influence in your local community. You'll go nowhere without it. But in furthering your influence, you must also recognize the benefits of listening to others and sharing your performance skills in other cities. Get involved in your state organizations. Attend their conferences. Give a presentation. Connect with others in person and via social media. Perform. You will learn and grow as a professional when you do. And while you are busy performing and building relationships, you will increase your capacity to expand and sustain your program.

But don't stop there. Our states aren't even big enough to sustain the quest for knowledge that we all must pursue. Afterschool professionals who want to absorb knowledge and participate in the shaping of a profession that is rapidly transforming must routinely travel from city to city and state to state across the nation in search of the next best thing. Restricting your observation and purview of how others in your profession are performing is certain to limit your professional growth and the eventual sustainability of your work. A professional network among a diversity of leaders with dozens of different viewpoints inspires us to learn. We are strengthened by our connections.  

The afterschool profession needs legions of leaders who are comfortable in airplanes and who are seasoned frequent fliers.

Working with the Right People

Anyone who knows even a little bit about horse racing can probably visualize the truth in the following  statement:  “You can’t win the Kentucky Derby while riding a mule.” Seems quite obvious, right?  Most people recognize the apples and oranges comparison. Horses and mules don’t possess like abilities. And no matter how much you feed a mule, train it, pamper or coddle it, a mule is still a mule. No one would ever consider pitting a mule against the elite race horses in the Derby. And even if you were a mule with aspirations, despite how hard we might wish, some things can’t be changed.

Now for an analogy. For success in the field afterschool education, we must work with the right people. If we expect to attain results, we must invest in people who have the capability to run with the same kind of speed and finesse of horses, not mules. Nothing against mules. But mules don’t belong in important races. Horses do. We must employ the fittest professionals with the requisite capacity and abilities to carry our kids to success in afterschool.

And now here’s the problem -- if we are really honest with ourselves. We’ve all probably supervised, worked with, or known someone working in an afterschool program that, despite lots of encouragement from you and your coworkers, still performed like a mule. Against our better judgment, and unfairly to those involved, we’ve created apples and oranges comparisons by allowing incapable workers to enter our profession. I hope these people are few and far between in afterschool, but they populate all facets of education. You know it if you ever sat through a class taught by a mule or recognized that your own child was placed in a mule’s classroom. And here’s the bottom line – despite the common acknowledgement that we share among ourselves that these few individuals will never, ever be capable of performance better than a mule, we often keep these people on staff. For various reasons, we rationalize that it’s easier to tolerate and keep our mules rather than dismiss them. Rather than face the facts, we continue attempts to train them to no avail. And then, when the pressure mounts to become something they can never be, a few morph into wolves, create terror, and heighten fear among our staffs.

Let’s bite the bullet get rid of the mules and wolves. It’s tough work, but for the sake of our kids, and to propel our profession forward at speeds we must go, we have to employ and work with the right people.

Dismissing incapable workers isn’t fun, but necessary. Be honest, fair, and swift. And remember this: Don’t wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, and the pig will like it!

10 Second Commercials

Dr. Paul G. Young
Presdient and CEO
NAA

I was frequently asked about what I did when I worked as an afterschool program director. When I responded, I'd often see puzzled looks. But when I explained that I had also been a school principal, people seemed to better relate. Apparently, if you went to school, you supposedly know what principals do (or maybe I talk with adults who, as kids, spent too much time in the principal’s office). But it also seems that far too many people are unaware of what afterschool program directors do. If adults themselves haven't attend an afterschool program or have children or grandchildren attending one, they have no reference point to envision it. And they have difficulty connecting or appreciating the similarities of leading afterschool programs with school leadership positions.

It's time we change those perceptions.

If you haven't thought about or practiced a response for describing what you do each day or what your afterschool program does, you’ll likely ramble on and make little sense when asked. You might bore your listeners and subsequently feel unappreciated and rejected. We all must be able to explain why our programs exist and what we intend them to accomplish.  And we better be able to convey that big idea concept in very simple terms.

We must memorize and be able deliver a 10-second commercial that explains who we are, what we do, why and where we do it, and how we make a difference. Try developing your personal commercial that goes something like this...

“Hi, I am Paul Young.  I lead the leaders of afterschool programs that provide kids with a safe place to expand their learning - after school”

The point of an effective, rehearsed, well-delivered 10-second commercial is that it grabs the attention of listeners so that they will ask you to tell them more. If you aren't commanding, strangers will dismiss you. If you lack sparkle and personality, you'll be a bore.

Without any doubt, afterschool is a "good idea." But we must make it into a "big idea" that resonates with the public in ways that everyone can understand, relate, and appreciate.  What does your afterschool program do? Tell it, sell it, and make your commercial remarkable.

Comparably, and almost universally, people associate Disney with happiness and make-believe. People know that Walmart exists to give ordinary folks the opportunity to buy the same things as rich people. McDonald’s makes hamburgers fast and cheaply. How about your afterschool program? What’s the big idea? What should we all learn to say? “The ‘ABC’ program is childcare?” “The ‘ABC’ program is recreation?” “Or the ‘ABC’ program is a safe place where kids go to expand their learning after school?” Which resonates best? Develop what works for you?

Our profession must adopt a universal "big idea." Schools exist to teach and learn. Hospitals exist to heal the sick. Libraries exist to house and lend books. Afterschool?  How about this?  Afterschool programs keep kids safe and learning - after school. It's redundant, but it works. 

It’s human nature to inquire what others do. When you are asked, deliver your 10-second commercial. When delivering it, you have the opportunity to sell yourself and our profession. Keep working with the wording until it is short, sweet, and easy for everyone in your organization to repeat. Learn to modify it for either formal or casual situations. Then, deliver it everywhere you go. Enable every employee and stakeholder to embrace it and describe the program's mission. And remember, after you've captured someone's attention, you have less than 90 seconds to fully explain the concept and details about afterschool.

Practice until you can nail it, both for what afterschool is and what you do - in 10 seconds or less.