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Gary Henderson

Gary Henderson

President, ALABS

Gary has spent his career building and running extended learning programs across multiple states. He writes about implementation, program design, and what it takes to make after-school and summer programs work.

Extended Learning Attendance Recovery Leadership and Culture

Posts by Gary Henderson (13)

Extended Learning

How to Reach More Students with Your Extended Learning Program

Your extended learning program helps the students who attend. The challenge is making sure the students who would benefit most are actually in the room.

Attendance Recovery

The Hidden Connection Between Staffing and Student Attendance

When classrooms are unstaffed, students disengage. When students are absent, staffing becomes harder. Here's how to break the cycle.

Extended Learning

How to Measure Whether Your Extended Learning Program Is Actually Working

You are running an after-school or summer program. You think it is working. But how do you know? Here is a practical measurement framework for extended learning.

Staffing Operations

Building Community Partnerships That Solve Your Staffing Problems

Your community has untapped talent that can fill classrooms, support programs, and strengthen schools. Here's how to build the partnerships that unlock it.

Extended Learning

How to Get Students to Actually Attend Summer School

Summer school works when students show up. Most don't. Here are the enrollment and attendance strategies that separate effective programs from empty classrooms.

Extended Learning

Funding Your After-School Program: A Practical Guide to Available Sources

Money is the biggest barrier to after-school programming. But more funding is available than most districts realize. Here is where to find it and how to access it.

Attendance Recovery

Why Attendance Matters More Than You Think (And More Than Test Scores)

Attendance is the single strongest predictor of student outcomes, stronger than test scores and stronger than school quality. Here's the evidence.

Extended Learning

High-Dosage Tutoring: What Works for Closing Learning Gaps

Tutoring is the most effective academic intervention we have. But not all tutoring is equal. Here's what the research says about the programs that actually move student outcomes.

Extended Learning

Does Extended Learning Time Actually Improve Student Outcomes?

More time in school sounds like an obvious solution. But the research is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Here's what works, what doesn't, and why quality matters more than quantity.

Attendance Recovery

Attendance Recovery Programs: How to Bring Students Back After They've Missed Too Much

When a student has already missed 20+ days, traditional interventions are not enough. Attendance recovery programs offer a structured path back. Here's how to build one.

Attendance Recovery

Chronic Absenteeism Interventions That Actually Move the Needle

Chronic absenteeism affects 1 in 4 students nationally. Most interventions fail because they target the wrong students at the wrong time. Here's what works.

Extended Learning

How to Keep Students Coming Back to Your Summer Learning Program

Summer program enrollment is easy. Attendance is hard. Here's what the research says about keeping students engaged through the full program.

Extended Learning

How to Staff an After-School Program Without Burning Out Your Team

After-school programs have a staffing problem that mirrors the teacher shortage. Here's how to recruit, retain, and schedule a team that actually sticks around.