Johns Hopkins will begin offering in January a
graduate certificate in out-of-school-time
learning to help after-school and summer learning directors
and managers run exceptional programs.
The Johns Hopkins Center for Summer
Learning, a research and advocacy center in the School
of Education, will administer the 15-credit program,
designed to address the increased nationwide
need for highly skilled after-school and summer learning
providers, said Jennifer Brady, director of
professional development at the Center for Summer Learning.
"With the pending reauthorization of
the No Child Left Behind Act and the recent authorization
of the STEP UP Act — the first federal
legislation to focus exclusively on the summer months as a
strategy in closing the achievement gap —
there is a new emphasis on out-of-school-time learning,"
Brady said. "We are on the front end of a
trend where we expect increased demand for professionals to
manage out-of-school-time programs."
The new certificate is a collaborative effort
involving the Center for Summer Learning and the
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the School of
Education. Focusing on program
management, the certificate targets the skills that program
directors and managers need to
effectively run high-quality out-of-school-time programs in
both formal and informal settings.
The certificate, which can be combined with another
School of Education certificate to
complete a master's degree, blends nonprofit management
skills with academic and youth development
strategies and allows busy professionals the opportunity to
complete the certificate by taking part-
time classes, including some online.
"In order for our nation to have quality
out-of-school-time programs, we must provide programs
with convenient formats that recruit and prepare highly
skilled out-of-school-time managers in the
areas of budgeting, staff management, assessment and
program development that meet national
standards," Brady said.
As the only center in the nation dedicated exclusively
to summer learning research and
advocacy, the Center for Summer Learning offers access to
the latest tools and research from
leaders in the field. The center also trains more than
2,000 summer program providers annually,
serving a total of more than 1 million youth each year, and
holds an annual nationwide conference that
draws more than 400 summer program providers.
For information about the certificate, including a
list of required courses, or to apply, go to
education.jhu.edu/ost or contact Jennifer Brady at
410-516-6230 or
jbrady19@jhu.edu.
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