[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-590484-105":59,"doc-detail-590484-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","professional-development-in-out-of-school-time","Professional Development in Out-of-School Time","","Professional development (PD) in out-of-school time (OST) is linked to positive youth experiences and outcomes, yet OST staff face confusion due to irregular wording and inconsistent definitions. The text explains challenges caused by varied terminology—such as differing meanings for workshops, staff development, and related terms—and highlights how this diversity affects communication, credentials, and career ladders. It notes ongoing progress through national standards and competency sets and introduces a commonly used terminology framework and proposed OST PD definitions.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/professional-development-in-out-of-school-time/590484/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/professional-development-in-out-of-school-time/590484.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Pentious","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How does professional development in the OST field affect youth outcomes?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Research in the OST field finds a strong connection between professional development for staff and positive experiences and outcomes for youth.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why are definitions and terminology in OST considered problematic?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The text states that irregular wording and inconsistent definitions cause confusion, since organizations use different terms to describe similar activities or apply different meanings to the same terms.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What strategies does the OST field use to address terminology issues?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The text highlights the development of national standards, youth worker competencies, and guidelines, and it presents a set of commonly used terms with adapted definitions for OST professional development.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},590484,1792678649,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":39,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":46},1374404730887,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","defining our terms  \n Professional Development in Out-of-School Time   \nby Nancy Peter  \nResearch in the out-of-school time (OST) field confirms a strong connection between professional development for staff and positive experiences and outcomes for youth (National Youth Development Learning Network [NYDLN], 2006). According to Heather Weiss (2005/2006), founder and director of the Harvard Family Research Project,“Professional development for those who work with children and youth is fraught with challenges and ripe with opportunity—specifically, the opportunity to increase staff quality, which experts agree is critical to positive experiences forchildren and youth”(p. 1). In recent years, the OST community has invested significant time and money into researching, creating, implementing, and evaluating professional development activities for OST staff.  \nThese efforts, while important, have been hampered by irregular wording and inconsistent definitions. Staff use multiple terms to describe or provide a context for different forms of professional development. For example, many agencies use the terms professional development and workshops to mean the same thing, while others believe that workshops are one component of a larger professional development strategy. Some organizations distinguish professional development, which enriches the individual, from staff development, which enriches the program or agency; others use these terms interchangeably. Unfortunately,  \nNANCY PETER is director of the Out-of-School Time Resource Center (OSTRC) at the University of Pennsylvania. OSTRC promotes out-of-school time student achievement by conducting research on and providing access to professional development. A certified classroom teacher, Nancy holds a master’s degree in education and is currently working on her doctorate in education. Her professional background is in environmental, science, museum, and informal education. With her husband, she coordinates a group of families in her neighborhood who explore Philadelphia public schools for their children’s education.  \nbecause there is no standard OST professional development glossary, we have no common reference point through which to synchronize our terminology.  \nary at the beginning of a seminar on intermediaries, discussing multiple interpretations of safety when developing a vision statement that addresses community safety, and more. Since professional development terms and  \nWhy Definitions Matter interpretations are inherently diverse, introductory defi  \nWhy is it problematic that one organization’s training series nitions should include contextual disclaimers such as is another’s professional development strategy? What is the “For the purpose of this workshop…” or “According to harm in using the terms capacity building and quality our organization….”  \nimprovement interchangeably? In a relatively new field A second, more substantive and challenging  \nsuch as OST, shouldn’t we expect a great deal of variation approach would be to agree on a set of common proin our definitions and terminology? fessional development terms and  \nrapiItdlisy preevocliselvinygbecafieludse OSthaTt is awe I have been in meetings deftheinitfielionsd str.Thisuggleswwililtnhot bmudedelaesdyt,earsshould pay closer attention to our with grant makers and minology in many settings. For terms and communication. OST government staff who example, national surveys document draws from multiple disciplines expressed confusion— extreme diversity in job titles that incsocliuadlingworkc,lassroodaycamre, eduandcationrecre-, and frustration—over sharevene swiimthiilnarthjeobsaresmeponscityib(iBlitiesuher-, ation, each with its own nomencla- the variety of overlapping Kane & Peter, 2008; LeMenestrel & ture. To communicate effectively terms emanating from Dennehy, 2003) . In one Philadelphia among ourselves, we need to know our field. setting, a youth worker is an adult  \nthat various professional develop- who works with ","cbCaioViItrVRNfW","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioViItrVRNfW","pdf",228770,"English","# Defining Our Terms\n## Why Definitions Matter\n## Origins of Variation in Terminology\n## Progress and Common Standards\n## Proposed OST Professional Development Terminology","[{\"question\":\"How does professional development in the OST field affect youth outcomes?\",\"answer\":\"Research in the OST field finds a strong connection between professional development for staff and positive experiences and outcomes for youth.\"},{\"question\":\"Why are definitions and terminology in OST considered problematic?\",\"answer\":\"The text states that irregular wording and inconsistent definitions cause confusion, since organizations use different terms to describe similar activities or apply different meanings to the same terms.\"},{\"question\":\"What strategies does the OST field use to address terminology issues?\",\"answer\":\"The text highlights the development of national standards, youth worker competencies, and guidelines, and it presents a set of commonly used terms with adapted definitions for OST professional development.\"}]","Professional Development in Out-of-School Time | PDF",1792069729]