Dr. Terry Peterson, senior fellow in the College of Charleston’s School of Education, Health and Human Performance, has received funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to develop a comprehensive study of the reach and impact of the nationwide 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). The project will be supported with a $125,000 grant from the Foundation and will provide a thorough and comprehensive examination of the 21st CCLC initiative, including best practices, data and case studies from sources nationwide and advice from a number of education and expanded learning time experts.
“Dr. Peterson’s selection to lead this project is a testament to his expertise, knowledge, and leadership abilities,” says Gwynn Hughes, a program officer for the Mott Foundation’s Pathways Out of Poverty program. “We are confident Dr. Peterson’s study will motivate policy makers and school, parent and community leaders to make decisions that will strengthen and expand learning time partnerships and programs so our children and youth can better succeed and achieve.”
“Dr. Peterson’s passion for expanded learning time and strong family-school-community partnerships is such an asset to the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance,” explains Dean Fran Welch. “When our students see such passion in their mentors, their passion is ignited. Plus, they leave with an understanding of the critical need for these important initiatives.”
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is a federally funded initiative which provides education and academic enrichment services during afterschool and summer hours for at-risk students. Programs under the 21st CCLC initiative place strong emphasis on collaborative partnerships between schools, communities and families. First funded in 1998, the 21st CCLC initiative now serves more than 1.6 million children and youth in 10,466 communities nationwide with federal funding of $1.16 billion annually.
Dr. Peterson was recently recognized with the U.S. Department of Education’s William S. White Achievement Award for his decades of service to children, schools and communities. He serves as chair of the National Afterschool Alliance and holds leadership positions in several educational organizations including the Coalition for Community Schools, the National Alliance for Excellence in Education and the National School Boards Association. He previously served as counselor to the U.S. secretary of education and as chief education advisor to the South Carolina governor.
The Mott Foundation, established in 1926 by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the U.S. and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. Besides Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg (South Africa) and London. The Foundation, with year-end assets of approximately $2.2 billion, made 492 grants totaling $92.9 million in 2010. For more information, visit www.Mott.org.
