The hours after school are the peak time for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex (Bureau, Urban Institute Estimate, 2000). However, kids’ inactivity has also proven to be dangerous. In the last 30 years, childhood obesity has more than tripled as a result of poor nutrition, working parents, video games, and funding cuts that cause schools to cut physical education and recess (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion). After school programs provide at risk kids with positive activities, role models, and life skills. By keeping young minds and bodies active, whether it be through sports, tutoring, leadership programs or the arts, students are better prepared for social and academic success today and for the future.

No Child Left Behind primarily promoted the academic/tutoring aspect of after school programs and failed to show the benefits other organizations and individuals could provide to students by making them socially and emotionally intelligent, says the American Association of School Administrators. Students’ health, self-esteem, and social and emotional intelligence are directly correlated with their academic success. If we can get parents and students involved after school,we can strengthen communities, improve student learning, and boost this education reform. As we all realize, education reform isn’t going to happen over night, but we can make progress on a smaller scale by getting students involved with individuals, organizations, and clubs who can give them the tools to succeed.

At LifeBound, we focus on helping students succeed both in and out of the classroom. Our study skills program, emotional intelligence tips, self-assessments, and transitional guides are used in schools across the country. We also offer extensive academic coaching classes to parents,teachers and program administrators to bolster student improvement. Recently, the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver contacted LifeBound to work with their team. We look forward to partnering with this dynamic organization to keep kids learning, safe, active, and healthy afterthe last bell rings.

In my experience, the best principals have three skills: vision, project management, and interpersonal skills. These skills are often found in many of the most successful business people as well. If we want progress in education we need principals to point their school in the right direction, support reform by planning and managing the school’s resources, and participate in vertical and horizontal communication similar to great leaders in business and non-profit.

Huffington Post writer Steffen Thybo Moller questioned the recent trend in blaming tenure for failing schools, in his article “School Reform’s Latest Challenge: Leadership.”  A new research project led by Anthony S. Bryk, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, supports his opinion. Bryk’s research team concluded leadership is the most important factor in improving schools, not whether or not teachers are tenured, and school reform won’t happen unless these leadership roles are filled.   Leadership of a school is like a well run company.   Each person knows the vision and mission, knows their personal goals and is committed to the team of people with whom they work to achieve extraordinary things individually and as part of the collective staff.

Teachers are an important element in determining whether a student, a class and a community succeed or fail, but the principal can set the tone for the ways in which problems are solved, the spirit in which students, parents and community members are called forth and the way in which a vision is articulated, maintained and followed through on over time.  This is an important time for leadership in all aspects of our society and, especially for principals who can lead our country to new heights of student participation, experience, achievement and knowledge.