Webinars
Designing Effective Out-of-School-Time and Afterschool Programs (part 1 of 2)
This webinar was presented on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026
Out-of-school-time and afterschool settings offer unique opportunities for young people to explore STEM through hands-on, interest-driven, and community-connected experiences. This REVISE webinar brings together researchers and practitioners to share evidence-informed approaches for designing programs that are engaging, consequential, and responsive to the realities of out-of-school-time environments.
Panelists explore what makes afterschool and other out-of-school-time programs effective, including how to build meaningful youth voice and choice, create strong educator supports, connect learning to young people’s interests and identities, and design programs that can be sustained across varied settings. Drawing on NSF-supported research and practice, the conversation highlights practical strategies, lessons learned, and resources that participants can use to strengthen their own programs.
Panelists:
- From the AISL project: Roads Taken: A Long-Term Follow-up Study of Program Strategies and Long-term Impacts of Intensive, Multi-year, STEM Youth Programs
- Deborah Wasserman, Project PI, Senior Researcher at COSI’s Center for Research and Evaluation
- Christine (Kit) Klein, Project Co-PI, Director at Insight for Learning Practices, LLC
- From the AISL project: Collaborative Research: Investigating the Most Impactful Culturally-responsive Informal Pedagogical Practices for STEM Afterschool Programs Engaging Marginalized Youth
- Sandi Simpkins, Project Co-PI, Director of Research at UCI Math CEO
Webinar Slides
Designing Effective Out-of-School-Time and Afterschool Programs (part 2 of 2)
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026
7-8am HST / 10-11am PDT / 1-2pm EDT
This webinar, part 2 of 2, will continue to explore evidence-informed approaches for designing programs that are engaging, consequential, and responsive to the realities of out-of-school-time environments.
Panelists will share lessons learned from their NSF AISL project. Attendees will gain practical insights they can apply to strengthen youth engagement and create more meaningful STEM learning experiences in their own programs.
Panelists:
- From the AISL project: STEM, growth mindset, and sports: Investigating STEM program design features that impact youth engagement
- Ricardo Valerdi, Project PI
- Erin Turner, Project Co-PI
AISL Project Spotlight
In this AISL Project Spotlight, Deborah Wasserman (Principal Investigator) shares about the project: Roads Taken: A Long-Term Follow-up Study of Program Strategies and Long-term Impacts of Intensive, Multi-year, STEM Youth Programs (NSF #1906396).
“Locating and staying in touch with program alumni presents a much bigger challenge than programs assume. This was a critical element of our project, and it became such an important source of lessons learned that we created a guide for others.”
AISL Project Resources
Resources from the AISL project: Roads Taken: A Long-Term Follow-up Study of Program Strategies and Long-term Impacts of Intensive, Multi-year, STEM Youth Programs
Resources from the AISL project: Collaborative Research: Investigating the Most Impactful Culturally-responsive Informal Pedagogical Practices for STEM Afterschool Programs Engaging Marginalized Youth
- Math CEO website
- Enhancing cultural responsiveness in afterschool STEM programs
- Centering Culture in Program Quality: Charting the Associations between Culturally Responsive Practices and Latine Adolescents’ Basic Needs in a U.S. Math After-School Activity
- Challenges and Strategies in Working with Latine Adolescents in a Math Enrichment Afterschool Activity
- Out-of-School Programs Provide Essential Benefits for Children and Youth; More Support Is Needed to Help These Programs Thrive
Resources from the AISL project: STEM, growth mindset, and sports: Investigating STEM program design features that impact youth engagement
- Connecting mathematics and sports in informal learning spaces
- Building Growth Mindset Using Lessons from Sports in Out-of-School Settings