Right At School Blog

In today’s digital age, fostering a love for reading among elementary students is more important than ever. The science of reading emphasizes effective strategies for teaching children how to read, but equally vital is motivating them to read for enjoyment.

We’re all familiar with Out-of-School Time (OST) programs and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). But what happens when we combine these two powerful approaches? Transformative opportunities for all learners!

In today’s educational landscape, we often hear about the “achievement gap.” At Right At School, we think focusing on the opportunity gap is more accurate—the disparities in access to resources and learning opportunities that can significantly impact a student’s future.

After fourteen years of back to school experiences, we’ve learned some helpful strategies to support our students as they transition from the relaxed pace of summer to the structured routine and demands of the long school day.

As children approach middle school, they face a rapidly evolving landscape of academic challenges, social dynamics, and personal responsibilities. As educators, we establish a variety of means to help students navigate the transition from elementary to middle school successfully.

“…we found ourselves in need of a reliable after-school program that could accommodate our schedules and provide Trey with a nurturing environment. That’s when we found Right At School.”

A key benefit of the educational ecosystem is that it is greater than the sum of its parts. With all hands on deck, districts can work smarter, not harder, to meet strategic goals.

Providers such as Right At School can lift the burden off of school and district leaders by providing turnkey before and after school programs, summer camps, break camps, electives, and more — all tailored to the needs of the educational ecosystem.

By creating a more holistic approach to education — and leveraging the resources all around us — we can provide students with greater support to prepare them for success in school and in life.

When I looked online for daycare, I saw that Right At School offered a before and after school program at Caleb’s new school. I was excited about that. I’m a single parent, I don’t have family here who can help, so finding a program that was on-site at school was perfect for us.

Through our after-school programs, we play a pivotal role in supporting children’s mental well-being by seamlessly blending disguised learning and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

The When Women Lead (WWL) summit brought together equity thought leaders and education leaders to engage in a deep dialog on topics including executive leadership, equity policy, and digital inclusion.

How do we clear a path for more women to become leaders in the educational system?

In this blog post, we’ll outline six essential factors that every school district should consider when evaluating potential vendors for an RFP.

“I immediately fell in love with the spirit of Right At School and that one of its core values is to be locally-inspired. It was enticing that I could have a hand in bringing this organization to our community.”

As summer stretches before us, it’s an ideal time to retreat and reflect. In my conversations with district leaders across the country this spring, they shared three big takeaways from the 2022-23 school year.

Empathy matters — and it shows everyone in the school community that their feelings, perspectives, and experiences matter.

Because empathy is also a skill that can be learned, that means it can (and should) be taught — and everyone in the school community can help.

The challenges of the last three years have required district leaders to be more agile than ever. Given the changing landscape in education and the world around us, adaptive leadership will continue to be vital to handle the complex problems facing schools today — and anything new that comes our way.

Extended day enrichment programs have never been more important than they are right now, and they are a fantastic place to start or further your educational career journey.

As districts continue to strategize on how best to support students’ learning, many are finding that summer enrichment programs can play an important role in their overall strategy for learning acceleration.

At the 2023 National Conference on Education (NCE), more than 3,000 superintendents gathered to connect, engage in professional learning, share best practices, and discuss the many challenges that leaders face daily.

While the percentage of women in the top leadership position in education is well above the 5% of S&P 500 companies led by a woman, there is still much progress to be made.

If you weren’t able to make it to AASA NCE this year, or just want to relive some of the fun, here are some highlights from our wonderful week in San Antonio!

Schools are microcosms of our greater social worlds. When we think about making an impact, school is where so much of that happens. It’s where we can truly make a difference. That’s what I love most about my job — making a difference.

Here are a few steps that leaders can take to inspire and sustain a more collaborative approach to student success across the school system.

AASA’s National Conference on Education is one of the most important events of the year. Passionate education leaders from across the country will travel to San Antonio, Texas, to make new connections and champion our nation’s school systems.

Recently, Vice President of School Partnerships Cindy Lawson shared how her love of children, and experiences as a parent and care provider led her to find her community at Right At School.

Conventional wisdom says that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we will be happy. But psychologist and author Shawn Achor says that recent discoveries in positive psychology show that this formula is backward: happiness fuels success, not the other way around.

A key goal in school is to prepare students for their futures. What knowledge and skills will they need to succeed in college and careers? How can we prepare them for a rapidly changing world and jobs that don’t exist yet?

Districts across the country are struggling to find teachers, substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers.

Despite the well-known impact that family engagement has on student success, actually getting that engagement remains a challenge.

Right At School believes every child should have access to world-class enrichment programs, and that programs should be inclusive and reflective of the students they serve.

In 2022 and beyond, all students need a system of support for their physical, mental, social, and academic wellbeing. Taking a more holistic approach to supporting student success inside and outside of the classroom requires building strong relationships for schools, students, and families.

Districts who still have available American Rescue Plan (ESSER III) funds have an opportunity to extend learning, increase equity, and impact the overall wellbeing of their students in 2022 and beyond by investing in enrichment programing.

The Learning 2025: National Commission on Student-Centered, Equity-Focused Education is a collaboration between thought leaders in education, business, community, and philanthropy.

Instead of focusing on the turmoil the pandemic has wrought over the last two-plus years, superintendents, assistant and deputy superintendents, and chief academic officers were talking about what’s next and where we want to go in the education field.

At Right At School, we understand that schools and districts are taking a more holistic approach to supporting students as they continue to address the challenges of lost learning time, student wellbeing, and more.

Our passion for locally-inspired enrichment is what makes Right At School Programs different from other enrichment providers. In this ongoing series, we’ll be spotlighting some of the amazing people on our team who are the very heart of what we do everyday.

Wondering how to infuse more time into the day to accelerate learning and support students socially and emotionally?

LaToya Thomas has been part of the Right At School family for over 7 years. In this blog, LaToya shares her experiences both working in the field as an Area Manager for Right At School and now as the Director of School Partnerships.

Play! Aside from being a whole lot of fun, play has some serious benefits for the development of the whole child.

Our team has been working overtime to redesign our favorite activities and games to accommodate physical-distancing. We think this video will help you gain perspective on how we’re adapting our program curriculum in a way that keeps safety the priority – without forfeiting the fun. #backtoras

Right At School is ready for back to school – whatever that may look like! Our team describes just some of the ways we’re fully prepared for back to school this year. #backtoras

Check out how we’re keeping Right At School programs safe and fun this school year. #backtoras

Whether your school year return will be in-person, virtual, or a combination (or it’s still unknown!), we have the ‘luxury’ of forethought. As we enter another “Back to School” season, albeit unusual, take a look at these six tips for preparing your children mentally, emotionally, and physically.

It’s time to let our school-age children experience joy, healing and connection alongside their peers and the teachers who inspire them to learn, socialize and grow. We can do so safely this summer and fall with just a few logistical tweaks.

Without dipping into scarce resources and even generating alternative revenue, districts who partner with a high quality afterschool provider can become part of an essential multi-pronged solution – for children, parents, and their own district mission and bottom line.