Long Title & No Header Image

Here’s a fact that may not have yet crossed the radar screen of most youth workers: America is involved in a major wave of new school construction – by most accounts, the largest in recent memory. This building boom creates a strategic opportunity for youth organizations to craft what researcher Milbrey McLaughlin calls “new institutional arrangements.”

I remember those halcyon days when I didn’t have to worry about where money came from. I started my youth work career in the protected employ of a city government, where others were charged with securing program funds.

Now that the ink is dry on the recently reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), it’s time to examine the implications of this legislation for youth work. Of particular note is the section that covers the 21st Century Community Learning Centers – a program designed to open public schools in the non-school hours, expand learning opportunities, and support partnerships between schools and community resources.