Bill to Improve After School and Expanded Learning - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Bill to Improve After School and Expanded Learning - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Approval of Bill to
Improve After School and Expanded Learning Programs 

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today praised Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. for signing Senate Bill 1221, sponsored by State Senator Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, which will improve the quality of after school and expanded learning programs and encourage more programs to operate year-round.

"Strengthening and increasing access to after school and expanded learning programs is a top priority," Torlakson said. "High-quality programs help students succeed inside and outside the classroom by improving school attendance and academic success, while reducing high school dropout rates and juvenile crime."

The legislation is just one part of Torlakson's effort to upgrade expanded learning programs, which include before and after school, summer and intersession programs focused on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of students.

Torlakson' s After School Division issued a report last week that provides a road map to help all programs strive for excellence. The report, Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California: Creating and Implementing a Shared Vision of Quality offers a set of guidelines for implementing innovative and engaging programs.

In June Torlakson announced that $51 million in new grants from three separate funds were awarded to 333 local after school and expanded learning programs. In California, the Department of Education funds more than 4,400 programs, more than all the other 49 states combined.

For more information about expanded learning, visit the CDE's Before and After School Web page. For more information on SB 1221  visit the California Legislative Information Web page.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100