Eastern Michigan University 21st Century Community Learning Centers BRIGHT FUTURES is a cohort of high quality after school programs in twenty school sites across three school districts including Romulus, Wayne-Westland, and Ypsilanti Community Schools.
Bright Futures forges an alliance with three economically challenged suburban school districts and Eastern Michigan University’s Institute for the Study of Children, Families, and Communities. The project serves two sites in the Romulus Community Schools (Romulus Middle and Romulus High Schools), nine sites/10 programs in the Wayne-Westland Community School District (Hicks Elementary, Taft-Galloway Elementary, Adams Lower Elementary serving Hamilton and Elliott Elementary; Adams Upper Elementary, Marshall Upper Elementary, Franklin Middle School, Stevenson Middle School, John Glenn High School and Wayne Memorial High School), and eight sites in the Ypsilanti Community Schools (Adams STEM Academy Elementary, Erickson Elementary, Estabrook Elementary, Holmes Elementary, Ypsilanti Community Schools Middle School, Washtenaw International Middle Academy, Ypsilanti Community High School, and Ypsilanti New Tech High School). Bright Futures is designed to address the needs expressed by the families and children served, community stakeholders, and school staffs. The strongest needs are in the areas of math, reading, writing, health, and social growth.
Bright Futures programs meet after school for three hours Monday through Thursday, 32 weeks during the school year and 6 weeks in the summer. Students participate daily in homework help, targeted academic assistance, mentoring, and service-learning and select from a rotating menu of clubs and activities. Clubs focusing on student interests in science, the arts, technology, engineering, culinary, and physical fitness integrate writing skills, personal development, and specific skills to support a successful transition from elementary to middle and from middle to high school.
The main goals of the EMU Bright Futures program are:
- Increase academic achievement
- Increase student learning in non-academic areas
- Increase student knowledge of career options and how to achieve
them
- Increase the experience of students transitioning to the next level
- Increase the literacy of parents in the skills that will help their children
in English Language Arts and math
- Increase student self-efficacy through leadership experiences and
service learning
- Develop grit and a growth mindset through trying new things,
perseverance, failing forward and the belief that ability and skill are
developed through dedication to hard work.
