Research On After-school Programs Of The Elementary And Middle School Students In California In The USA

After-school programs for primary and middle school students in California refer to learning programs carried out by schools,communities,or other social organizations before school(before the start of public schools),after school,or on non-school days(such as summer vacations).It provides elementary and middle school students with a safe environment and diverse courses to enhance students’ academic performance,cultivate their comprehensive skills,and promote their all-round development,thereby preparing them for their future study,work,and life.Due to the influence of comprehensive factors such as economic development,changes in social structure,and educational progress,after-school programs for primary and middle school students in California have experienced the phases of budding emergence,rapid growth,and developmental crises,have achieved certain results,and have established a relatively perfect system.At present,after-school programs for primary and middle school students in California are not only to provide a safe environment for students,but more importantly,to promote the comprehensive academic,artistic,scientific,social,emotional,physical and mental development of children from low-and middle-income families.After-school programs consist of school-based programs and community-based programs;private-funded programs and public-funded programs;programs focusing on academic tutoring and those focusing on ability development.They also provide a variety of courses,including academic counseling,arts and sports,nutrition and health,social and emotional learning,and STEM.Moreover,learning in th e after-school programs advocates the principles of active interaction,cooperation and mutual assistance,giving meaning,mastering skills and broadening horizons.At the same time,after-school programs for primary and middle school students in California have a reliable multi-level guarantee system,which includes organizational guarantees for cooperation between governmental organizations and non-governmental ones,stable public funds that favor low-and middle-income schools and families,and sound quality assurance.As far as quality assurance is concerned,California has developed state-wide standards for after-school programs for primary and secondary school students,has developed internal and external quality assessment tools,has established a quality monitoring and evaluation system,and has set up a data-based continuous quality improvement process to supervise and encourage after-school providers to continuously improve their quality.On the one hand,after-school programs for primary and middle school students in Californi a have the characteristics of wide student coverage,long service time,multiple objectives,diverse courses,and reliable guarantee systems;on the other hand,after-school programs for primary and middle school students in China are still i n the initial stage of development and face a lack of laws and regulations,funds and quality.Drawing on the mature experience of after-school programs for primary and middle school students in California,China needs to strengthen the construction of laws and regulations to clarify the important role of after-school programs,increase funding that favors students from low-and middle-income families,and establish a quality assurance system to improve the quality of after-school programs.