An examination of the major trends in afterschool programming indicate that the majority of the programs focus on youth mentoring, academics, community services, or career/work opportunities; the majority of program participants are youth of color and female; and almost 50 percent of afterschool programs have no connections with their local schools. The characteristics of effective afterschool programs hinge on their staff; the most effective programs have creative, well-trained staff who are skilled at building relationships and can make long-term commitments to the programs. The program approaches that seem to work best with older youth include youth apprenticeships, homework support programs, school-based national programs, philanthropic programs, social opportunities programming, and skills focused programming. The delivery of afterschool programming would be enhanced by a systemic approach that emphasizes: (1) funding collaborations; (2) planning and cooperation among stakeholders; (3) formal links between high schools, communities, and local governments; (4) high school age program standards; (5) a common set of objectives; and (6) a designated citywide leadership structure. The analysis was based on electronic surveys about high school afterschool programs distributed to afterschool program leaders, community-based organizations, and youth focused municipal departments in 21 cities. More detailed investigations of high school level afterschool programs were conducted in five cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, and Kansas City. Additional data included telephone interviews with city and program leaders, interviews with key stakeholders, and a task group meeting. Footnotes, appendixes, references