Exploring Issues of Quality in Extended Education Programs

Extended education – as defined by the WERA TASKFORCE on Extended Education – is a unifying term for programs that: (1) provide adult supervised activities designed to encourage learning and development; and (2) are extracurricular, meaning that they are non-credential and voluntary. Internationally, extended education programs are growing rapidly and there is considerable interest in the range of outcomes they may achieve – from keeping children safe, to strengthening academic outcomes, physical and mental health, and pro-social skills and relationships. Yet, the realisation of such outcomes appears highly variable, both within and between countries. In response, the field is becoming increasingly concerned about issues of quality and the rigor of program designs, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation processes (Durlak et al., 2010; Simpkins et al., 2017). This symposium draws together insights on these issues from Germany, USA, and Sweden. Paper 1: Educational success and the social participation of socially and educationally disadvantaged students with a migration background in all-day schools in Germany Authors: Marianne Schüpbach, Jule Schmidt, Haiqin Ning, Nanine Lilla In Germany, Extended Education takes the form of ‘all-day’ primary schools, which provide additional after school activities. It is expected that these will strengthen educational success and social participation, especially for socially and educationally disadvantaged students with migration backgrounds. However, this has yet to be achieved (StEG-Konsortium, 2016). In other countries, there are comparable extended education programs that appear effective (Durlak et al., 2010; Lauer et al., 2006) and from which Germany may learn. This paper reports findings from a study involving problem-centred interviews with 16 international experts to address the question: ‘Which quality features are relevant to ensure that socially and educationally disadvantaged students with a migration background benefit better from extended education offerings in German all-day primary schools?’ Initial analyses: (1) indicate structural, process, and orientation dimensions to high quality provision; (2) suggest barriers to high quality provision arising from the current qualification of staff and decreasing cooperation between schools and external partners; and (3) point to the importance of fostering inclusive after school learning environments. Paper 2: Using Data to Scale Quality: Continuous Quality Improvement at Chicago's After School Matters Authors: Melisa Mister, Mary Ellen Caron, Tony Raden In 1991, civic leaders in Chicago launched After School Matters (ASM), an ambitious youth development model that provided paid extended learning opportunities to teenagers after school and during the summer. ASM has since become one of the largest and most influential youth development organizations in the U.S, evolving in ways that bolster quality and influence the larger youth development field. This paper will detail the multi-faceted infrastructure, systems, partnerships, and tools ASM uses to implement, support, monitor and evaluate extended learning programs at scale. ASM leaders will share the organization’s theoretical approach and methodology for measuring and enhancing quality that produce essential outcomes predictive of adolescent well-being and long-term success in college and careers (Hilvert et al., 2024; Young et al., 2022). Paper 3: Quality in School-age Educare in Sweden Author: Karen Lager In Swedish national policy, Extended Education is provided through School-Age Educare Centers (Fritidshem) and has its own dedicated section in the national curriculum focused on recreation. Centers are typically integrated with primary schools and provide before and after school activities for children aged 6 to 12. The Swedish Schools Inspectorate (2010, 2018) has raised significant questions about the quality of Educare, particularly its structures and processes. This paper synthesizes findings from the author’s program of research into these issues (Lager 2025, 2024, Lager and Gustafsson Nyckel 2022, 2021). Through qualitative and ethnographic research in multiple Educare Centers, involving Center leaders, staff and children, it identifies features of high quality practice and barriers to achieving this. The studies suggest that teachers’ commitment to the program, children, and colleagues; the structured framing of the program; and continuous evaluation – underpinned by academically-qualified and stable staff teams, dedicated learning spaces and necessary materials, and time to plan and prepare work – are central to developing high quality provision. However, particular challenges are posed by material constraints and the ways in which pressures to meet curriculum goals and measured outcomes can overshadow teachers’ commitment to developing children’s agency and child-led learning experiences. Generating comparative insights that may support the establishment of internationally applicable, shared quality criteria, appears vital for the field’s development. Importantly, the symposium will contribute to this by helping to illuminate some of the opportunities and challenges involved in designing, implementing, scaling, and transferring high-quality, transformative, extended education programs – both intra- and internationally. References Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., & Pachan, M. (2010). A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to promote personal and social skills in children and adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 294-309. Hilvert, E., Preuss, M., Cohen, M., Bona, M., & Raden, T. (2024). Strengthening our Foundations and Our Future: Lessons Learned from After School Matters Summer 2023, 1 - 24. Lager, K. (2025). Teacher leadership in a high-quality practice. Extended Education - Leadership in Practice Vol.10, doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1537056 Lager, K. (2024). Children’s experiences: The institutional grip of evaluation in Swedish school-age educare. Journal of Childhood, Education and Society, 5, 61-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202451334 Lager, Karin & Gustafsson Nyckel, Jan (2022). Meaningful leisure time in school-age educare: the value of friends and collective strategies. Education in the North, 29(1), 84–100. DOI: 10.26203/spn0-8f76 Lager, Karin & Gustafsson Nyckel, Jan (2021). Teachers Enacting Complementation and Compensation in a Strained Practice: Policy and Practice in Swedish School-Age EduCare. International Journal on Research on Extended Education 9(1), 7–21. https://doi.org/10.3224/ijree.v9i1.03. Simpkins, S. D., Riggs, N. R., Ngo, B., Ettekal, A. E., & Okamoto, D. (2017). Designing culturally responsive organized after-school activities. Journal of Adolescent Research, 32, 11 - 36. StEG-Konsortium. (2019). Ganztagsschule 2017/2018. Deskriptive Befunde einer bundesweiten Befragung. Studie zur Entwicklung von Ganztagsschulen, StEG. DIPF, DJI, IFS, Justus-Liebig-Universität. Young, J., Lentz, A., Alexander, H., Hilvert, E., Preuss, L., & Raden, T. (2022). 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