This three-article dissertation presents a perspective of persistence in STEAM learning at the elementary level within the context of a third through fifth-grade elementary school in Northern Idaho. Students at this elementary school were offered extra-curricular opportunities to persist in STEAM learning and while participating in a MakerSpace…

The discretion provided to states under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) offers new possibilities for policymakers to determine how best to allocate resources and support policies to provide students with a well-rounded education. As states begin to examine new strategies for improving student outcomes and developing the next generation of…

The Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation are proud to celebrate a fifth round of the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards. For the past five years, we have collaborated to highlight the work of quality afterschool programs that support children, families and communities across the nation. This compendium is a compilation of four…

What happens when teams from 57 cities building afterschool systems gather to discuss two key system responsibilities--improving afterschool programs and using data for informed decision-making? Lots of rich discussion. This report covers a national afterschool conference held in February 2013. It details what mayors, program providers, system…

This guide is intended to aid local elementary and middle schools in Idaho as they improve and expand art instruction for their students. This model is built around discipline-based art education and allows students to experience art aesthetics, art history, art criticism, and art production. This is a sample and is not considered to be…

Designed as a "Participant's Manual" to be used as part of a "Chemical and Mercury Management in Schools Training," this document focuses on the policies and programs needed at the school and district level for safe and sustainable chemical and mercury management practices. This document is designed primarily for school…

This guide is organized into a suggested list of art skills that all Idaho students should know and be able to do at each grade level from kindergarten through sixth grade. The guide will help provide parents, teachers, and students with knowledge of what is being taught in a logical scope and sequence by grade level. Its purpose is to help build…

In an attempt to bring art instruction into small schools financially unable to support such a program, 11 high schools in 4 western states have been receiving simultaneous instruction in art from a central source with the aid of an amplified telephone and coordinated overhead transparencies. Before the onset of classes, the instructor visits each…

Elk City, Idaho, instituted an arts program in its small K-10 school with grant and community funding. An arts facilitator organized a visiting-artists program and trained teachers to recognize different learning styles and integrate art, literature, and music into the curriculum. Self-esteem and test scores have risen, and the community is…