Northern Illinois University
STEM Interest and Engagement (STEM IE)

The programs enrolled in the STEM IE study were each supported by a city-level afterschool intermediary, the Providence After School Alliance (PASA) in Providence, RI and Boston After School and Beyond (BASB) in Boston, MA. There were a number of similarities between how each intermediary supported the summer programs enrolled in the study and some important differences. Each intermediary was under contract with the city’s school district to administer the summer programs and managed the process of formally enrolling youth. In addition, each intermediary established guidelines for how the programs would operate; outlined goals for the provision of academic content and support for social and emotional learning; and provided training and professional development for program staff aligned with the quality criteria and tools used by each intermediary. 

PASA was closely involved in the design and delivery of summer programming. The PASA model was predicated on programming being delivered by a trio of staff:

1. A school-day teacher employed by the district.
   
   
2. A community educator employed by a community-based organization responsible for providing the field experiences for participating youth.
   
   
3. An AfterZone educator employed directly by PASA—that co-designed and co-implemented the activities provided during the program. PASA also had decision making authority around what staff were to be hired to work in each program team.

Finally, much of PASA’s philosophy related to program design and delivery had been informed by quality criteria outlined in the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA), a validated observation tool that details the types of supports and opportunities that should be present in developmentally appropriate activities characterized by a high degree of support, positive interactions, and opportunities for engagement.

In comparison, BASB was not involved in the day-to-day running of individual programs, with decisions related to staffing and activity design left to the individual summer programs. Programs supported by BASB intentionally separated activities with more of an academic focus into specific program offerings taking place in the morning at each program, with STEM-oriented enrichment occurring in the afternoon. Like PASA, BASB had adopted an observation-based quality assessment tool, the Assessing After School Practices Tool (APT-O), which addresses many of the same domains as the YPQA used by PASA.