What is School Day Alignment?
The Utah Afterschool Network defines School Day Alignment as the level of coordination and collaboration between school day and out of school time program teams regarding the pillars of school-day alignment: relationships, policy, shared resources, student needs and academics.
A program and school team with fully aligned and integrated practices consistently strive to have one or more organizations share a vision with collaboration as the method to achieve their goals. Together, their actions complement to achieve the highest benefits for the community they serve.
The Utah Afterschool Network believes in the power of consistent, coordinated, and trusted collaboration within vital partnerships. Click the link below to learn more about the School Day Alignment work in Utah, and how programs across the state are working to achieve fully integrated Alignment practices.
FY23 School Day Alignment Impact Report
Want to learn more? Email Lauren Levorsen, School Alignment and Data Specialist, at
Align for Success: Out of School Time Partnership Rubric
Don't know where to start? Begin examining your alignment strengths and possible weaknesses with the Utah Afterschool Network Align for Success: Out of School Time Partnership Rubric. This tool will help you identify your current school day and afterschool school alignment needs. Lean on the rubric as a guide for communication with your school(s).
Align for Success Rubric & Toolkit Overview - 14 minutes
Required to digitally submit an Align for Success Rubric?
Align for Success Toolkit
Each section below is based on one of the five pillars of alignment from the Align for Success: Out of School Time Partnership Rubric. These key areas set a foundation for school day and afterschool alignment best practices. Please use these resources along with the Alignment Rubric to help you in reaching your S.M.A.R.T goals.
Relationships
Principal Communication
Afterschool in Utah: Supporting Student Needs and Strengthening Communities
Principal Email Template | Collaborating on Fall Planning
School Administration Sample Meeting Agenda | What to Discuss Early On
Introductory Communication with Principal and School Staff | Beyond The Bell Tool
Draft Agenda for Meeting with the Principal | Beyond The Bell Tool
Utah State of Afterschool Report
Utah Talking Points | Benefits of Afterschool Programs
National Association of Elementary School Principals | After-School Success
Classroom Teachers and School Day Personnel Communication
Student Goal Worksheet | Afterschool and Teacher Collaboration
Teacher Email Template | Introduction for the Student Goals Worksheet
Homework Communication | You for Youth
Newsletter Ideas | Free Templates
Newsletter Template Example | Canva
Newsletter Template Example | PDF
School Staff Meeting Topics | Beyond The Bell Tool
Administrator Communication Checklist | Creative Ways To Stay In Touch
Program and School Team Policy
Grant Requirements and Program Outcomes
Absenteeism
Student Data
Shared Resources
Physical Space
Materials and Equipment
Student Needs
Youth Development
Family Engagement
Academics
High Quality Activities, Lessons, and Resources
Formative Assessments
School District Curriculum Maps
Miscellaneous
Scholarly Articles
Connecting School and Afterschool | 15 Ways to Improve Partnerships
Creating Holistic Partnerships Between School and Afterschool
Learning with excitement: Bridging school and after-school worlds and project-based learning
Examining Levels of Alignment Between School and Afterschool and Associations with Student Academic Achievement
Covid Resources
Partnering with Schools to Reopen
Six Creative Ways to Utilize This Document
- Discuss and review it with your team.
- Share it at your next partnership principal team meeting. It's recommended that this document be tailored or supplemented with additional information that contains program-specific data. The "four ways afterschool programs can support student success" can be used as a launching point for including additional program-specific information. Utilizing both creates a strong, compelling, and local story.
- Explore the rest of the documents on this page for additional pointers and documents to have on hand during your next partnership principal team meeting.
- Send an email to your principal(s)/school administrative team(s) if a formal meeting isn't set up (maybe this can prompt a meeting?). Make sure the body of the email includes program-specific information and how your program wants to help (keep it relevant based on your current knowledge of the district's fall plan).
- Pass along this information to your families as talking points for them to use with school day administration. The more school day and afterschool alignment is brought up in conversation, the stronger the message will be!
- Give this document (along with additional program-specific data) to your local school board.
COVID-19 Talking Points for 50-State Networks
CT-Grouping | Ratio Matters Now More Than Ever
Reaching Out to School Leaders about Reopening | Afterschool Alliance
Webinars & Trainings
Interested in learning more? Check out these resources and webinars, available to anyone who is interested in furthering their Alignment work.
School Day & Afterschool Alignment Webinar 42 minutes
School Day Alignment Cohort Series
Back to School with School Day and Afterschool Alignment Blog post
The Align for Success School Day and Afterschool Alignment Project is made possible by United Way of Salt Lake and the Charles S. Mott Foundation in partnership with the Utah Education Policy Center.
