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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Advocates in behalf of children, education, and |
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community development are gathering in Austin on March 26, 2013, |
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for Texas Partnership for Out of School Time Day at the Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Partnership for Out of School Time |
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(TXPOST) is a nonprofit statewide collaboration between public and |
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private organizations dedicated to promoting out of school time |
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programs for school-age children; formed in the fall of 2011 with |
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funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, TXPOST now |
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coordinates seven regional networks and is leading a statewide |
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initiative to develop voluntary quality standards; and |
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WHEREAS, Out of school time programs take place before and |
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after school, on weekends, and during the summer; there are many |
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benefits to engaging students during these times, including the |
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fact that after-school programs can improve children's personal, |
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social, and academic skills, raise their self-esteem, and reduce |
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disciplinary issues during school; moreover, a recent study of the |
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Texas Afterschool Centers on Education indicated that |
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participating in such programs had a positive and significant |
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effect on students' standardized test scores in reading and math; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Keeping young Texans engaged during out of school |
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times also helps keep them safer; one reason why these programs are |
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critical is, because the hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the |
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peak hours for juvenile crime, school-age children are seven times |
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more likely to be the victim of a violent crime after school; while |
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68 percent of Texas school-age children live in households in which |
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their guardians are in the workforce, only 15 percent of children |
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participate in after-school programs, leaving many young people |
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with unstructured and potentially unsupervised time; and |
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WHEREAS, By increasing the quality and availability of out of |
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school time programs, TXPOST is investing in the future of young |
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Texans, offering them opportunities to learn and grow in a safe |
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environment; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 26, 2013, as Texas Partnership |
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for Out of School Time Day at the Capitol and commend all those |
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associated with TXPOST for their commitment to the students of the |
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Lone Star State. |