This week, state legislators and others will have the chance to learn about activities at the local, state and national levels that enhance educational excellence in U.S. schools through a series of displays in the Capitol Rotunda.

Surprisingly, given recent dialogue about educational quality, these displays are not centered on testing requirements, school boundaries or teacher pay.

Rather, they focus on educational advocates across the nation who are teaming with community leaders to develop programs that utilize school buildings for after school programs that enrich students’ lives and strengthen communities.

The idea that after school activities can lead to academic success is gaining renewed prominence in educational reform circles.

According to Milton Greenberg, former head of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Research, there is a growing understanding that “learning must become a seamless process that encompasses the entire day and year, helping young men and women develop a genuine range of skills and abilities.”

School and community partnerships have an important role to play in helping to achieve this vision.

Elements of this approach are currently being implemented in some Nebraska schools. Eighty-eight school-community partnerships are currently developing as part of the federally funded, state-administered 21st Community Learning Centers program.

Through these and other programs, educators and community leaders are coming together to offer expanded programs that provide youth and families with extended learning opportunities and real world experiences that research shows stimulate academic success.

Community learning centers are based on research concerning the intersection of student achievement and factors related to family and community resources.

Yes, quality teachers and administrators, well-maintained schools and challenging curriculum are necessary conditions for learning.

However, a range of family and community influences also impact student achievement.

Some community learning centers start programs that: address students’ basic health and social service needs; develop positive relationships between schools and families; and, in some cases, initiate important community development work.

Each community learning center is unique, with programming designed partly by school staff, community residents and others to address a community’s needs. Such partnerships are making significant strides in providing youth with the opportunities they need to thrive.

The public is increasingly supportive of these innovations.

Last year, in an election-day poll conducted on behalf of the national Afterschool Alliance, an overwhelming majority of people indicated they valued enriched and structured after school programs and would be willing to fund their expansion.

When told youth in after school programs are less likely to get involved in crime, use drugs or alcohol, become teen parents or drop out, 89 percent of voters said such programs are important and should be more readily available.

This consensus suggests now may be the time for communities to build on public support and acknowledge research suggesting that existing school reforms, in isolation, may not meet the educational needs of all our children.

Communities can meet ambitious goals when they work in concert with schools to provide children with the necessary services and stimulating opportunities during their after school hours.

Jeff Cole is coordinator of the Nebraska Community Learning Center Network, a statewide partnership housed in the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.