BOYS & GIRLS & COMMON CORE

BOYS & GIRLS & COMMON CORE: The Boys & Girls Clubs of America hit Washington full force Wednesday, holding about 300 congressional and agency meetings to drum up support for its mission and educate policymakers on how they serve almost 4 million youth. The legacy provider of after-school programs is more than just that, CEO Jim Clark told Morning Education, and he’s angling for a louder policy voice. Members of 50 major national chapters met with their respective elected officials on a larger scale than ever before, said Kevin McCartney, who handles government relations. The organization detailed plans to scale up summer programs, STEM resources and teaching of the arts. Summertime Brain Gain program, aimed at making sure students retain knowledge when school is out, will expand from 250 pilots last year to 1,000 programs this year, Clark said.

— Like the Obama administration, the Boys & Girls Club wholeheartedly embraces the Common Core standards. The organization provides mentoring and homework help, so if the staff doesn’t know the standards, then they don’t know what’s happening in the classroom. About a year ago, BGCA began incorporating the standards into their program design, Clark said. But the Boys & Girls Clubs won’t be joining the political fray. “We won’t get into the middle of that debate,” Clark said. “The way we’re coming at it, is we’re building it into our programs ... because that is what’s happening in schools.”