About us
OUR PURPOSE
The Out-of-school time SIG provides a forum for researchers to share, learn, and network around scholarship in out-of-school time teaching and learning; to provide opportunities to present and discuss relevant theory, empirical research, and practical wisdom; and recognize our colleagues for excellence in OST-related scholarship.
The SIG leverages its platform to promote collaboration and dialogue across major OST stakeholders for community advocacy for the optimal development of young people.
The Out of School Time Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association
We define out-of-school (OST) time scholarship as research that explores the culture, activities, practices, experiences, and outcomes (social, academic, developmental) of community-based education, youth work practice, and extracurricular programming. This can include afterschool programming, community-based youth organizations, informal learning communities, nonprofit philanthropy, youth workers, community-based leaders, OST partnerships, and sociopolitical inquiry into race, class, power, gender, privilege, etc. in relation to children, youth, families, youth workers/youth development professionals, and community members in OST contexts.
We welcome all scholarship, empirical or theoretical and all methodological approaches.
As the OST SIG, we understand that learning and development occur in many contexts beyond schools and that OST programs hold varied goals and activities for children and youth (e.g. youth leadership, college access, STEM, school-age care, mentorship, the arts, activism). As such, we welcome scholars whose work takes place in afterschool programs (school or community-based), parks, recreation centers, community and neighborhood centers, college/ university-run youth programs, youth development organizations, juvenile justice programs, summer camps, museums, libraries, virtual/digital settings, etc.