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Insights and News

October 2025

How Districts Plan for Successful Summer Programs

The best time to plan for summer learning programming is sooner than you'd think. A new Summer "Snapshot" dives into how three districts used evidence-based planning practices to revamp their approaches to summer learning.

Who's on Board?

A new national survey offers the most comprehensive look yet at America's school board members. It provides insights into school board members' backgrounds, political views, and perspectives on education, finding that board members' views generally reflect those of their communities.

Building Community-Wide Support for Youth Programming

Out-of-school-time intermediaries are uniquely positioned to support youth beyond the school day. In Tulsa and Cleveland, they've helped reduce barriers to funding, create youth-driven policy agendas, provide data and tools to strengthen programs, and build lasting partnerships with schools and policymakers. Read more about their strategies and why they matter now more than ever.

Why Measuring Principal Impact Is Harder Than You Think

In 2021, a landmark report showed when schools were led by effective principals, students gained the equivalent of nearly three additional months of learning. But new research suggests the effect may be smaller. In a new article, Wallace's VP of Research Bronwyn Bevan unpacks what this means. Drawing on conversations with researchers, she highlights why principals matter deeply and why measuring their impact is far more complex than a single number.

What Are Educators Excited About This Year?

From prioritizing student well-being to exploring AI in classrooms and elevating youth voice after school, leaders across the country share what excites them most about the current school year.

Every Hour Counts hosts Power of Us: Lessons Learned & Actions to Support the Youth Fields Workforce, a webinar on the power behind afterschool and summer programs nationwide. Register here.

Schools, Districts, States

A Wallace-supported project at Teachers College Columbia University is helping school leaders use data to build more equitable systems and improve student outcomes.

District leaders share how they have crafted and implemented guidance for artificial intelligence tools.

"From the bus lot to the schoolhouse door, the rhythm of a principal's day is one of presence, problem-solving, and people-first leadership," writes the superintendent of Buncombe County Schools in North Carolina in an article on why principals matter.

Summer, Afterschool, Social and Emotional Learning

Neil Naftzger, managing director at the American Institutes for Research, reveals the data on how 21st Century Community Learning Center programs are promoting positive outcomes for young people.

Staffing shortages and reduced funding mean access to afterschool programs is shrinking, even as the need grows. TIME highlights the urgent need to sustain these programs.

Join the Afterschool Alliance and 8,000 programs across the country to celebrate the important role afterschool programs play in the lives of children, families and communities during the 26th annual Lights on Afterschool on October 23.

In San Antonio, youth development programs are strengthening youth workers' capacity to build trusting, inclusive, and intentional relationships with youth in their programs.

The Arts

We're excited to share that Wallace arts grantee Rebuild Foundation officially opened The Land School, bringing a vibrant new space for creativity and community to Chicago's South Side.

Casual museum-goers are younger and more diverse than frequent museum visitors, according to the 2025 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers.

Congratulations to Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, part of Wallace's Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative, for being named as one of five new members of NYC's esteemed Cultural Institutions Group. Read more from The New York Times.

This Psychology Today article highlights how creative, culturally grounded spaces like art, dance, and storytelling can foster belonging, resilience, and emotional safety in ways traditional services often can't.