After-School Centers and Youth Development
Case Studies of Success and Failure

This book examines after-school programs, exploring how – and why – young people thrive in good programs and suffer in weak ones.

Barton J. Hirsch (Author), Nancy L. Deutsch (Author), David L. DuBois (Author)

9780521191197, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 September 2011

366 pages, 1 b/w illus. 8 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.6 kg

"...We recommend After-School Centers and Youth Development as valuable reading for anyone concerned with youth development and youth programs. The book is at once soundly grounded in research, while also providing vivid stories that illustrate the enormous range of real-life dynamics in youth organizations. For policy makers and researchers, it is a wake-up call for the importance of a holistic perspective. For undergraduate and graduate students, the book can serve as an effective text that will spark critical conversations tied to theory, management, and child development. For practitioners, the final chapter provides reasonable recommendations on ways of instituting strategies to create a synergistic organization that reverberates high quality and addresses disorder on all levels."
–Aisha Griffith and Reed Larson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Social Service Review,

This book examines after-school programs in light of their explosive growth in recent years. In the rush to mount programs, there is a danger of promoting weak ones of little value and failing to implement strong ones adequately. But what is quality and how can it be achieved? This book presents findings from an intensive study of three after-school centers that differed dramatically in quality. Drawing from 233 site visits, the authors examine how – and why – young people thrive in good programs and suffer in weak ones. The book features engaging, in-depth case studies of each of the three centers and of six youths, two from each center. Written in a highly accessible style for academics, youth workers, after-school program leaders and policy makers, the study breaks new ground in highlighting the importance of factors such as collective mentoring, synergies among different programs and activities, and organizational culture and practices.

Part I. Introduction: 1. The quality of after-school centers
Part II. Midwest Center: 2. Pockets of excellence
3. Pocahontas joins the tribe
4. Bill: the pros and cons of being one of the guys
5. Putting it all together: Midwest Center
Part III. North River Center: 6. A study of organizational dysfunction
7. Undercutting Tweetie: the trials and tribulations of a youth leader
8. Beyonce: a good friend is hard to find (and keep)
9. Putting it all together: North River and Midwest Centers
Part IV. West River Center: 10. The jewel in the crown
11. Midnight: a teen father stays the course
12. Tommiana: a contest between closeness and competition
13. Putting it all together: what have we learned?
Part V. Conclusion: 14. Recommendations for improving practice.

Subject Areas: Educational psychology [JNC], Child & developmental psychology [JMC]